NASA decided to move Space Shuttle Atlantis off its launch pad and back inside the protection of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The roll back began at 10:05 a.m. EDT this morning.

The decision was made due to Tropical Storm Ernesto's track, which is expected to bring high winds as it passes Kennedy.

A new launch date is not yet scheduled for Atlantis' flight, STS-115, to the International Space Station. NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency continue to discuss the timing of Atlantis’ mission and the Soyuz spacecraft, which will send the next crew to the Station in September. Atlantis would require eight days of launch preparations once it was returned to Launch Pad 39B. NASA is also investigating additional launch windows later in the fall.

The STS-115 crew will return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to continue training as they await a new target launch date.