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NASA Ames Center Spared From President's Budget Cuts

MOUNTAIN VIEW (KCBS) – President Barack Obama is proposing a billion dollar cut to NASA's budget, but it won't have any affect on operations at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

In fact, NASA is proposing a $20 million budget increase for the facility.

"In this budget environment, that is very good news for NASA Ames in particular," said NASA Ames Director Pete Worden. "Ames is in space and Ames is in the air. We are the leader for a lot of critical technologies, and this budget only strengthens that."

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

Worden said that what's saving NASA Ames from the budget axe is that the facility is involved in so many different key projects.

"One of the particular areas that has been strengthened in this is the entry, descent and landing systems. I like to say that if you want to get to space, you probably talk to some other center," said Worden. "But if you want to come home, you better talk to us, because we know how to do the thermal protection systems."

Ames is also heavily involved in robotic technology.

NASA announced a $17.7 billion budget request on Monday for fiscal year 2013.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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