Space shuttle Atlantis launch set for Sept. 6

After weathering tropical depression Ernesto at the launch pad, the space shuttle Atlantis is set for launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 12:29 p.m. EDT on Sept. 6, according to NASA TV on Thursday.

No damage to facilities or flight hardware is reported at the Kennedy Space Center following the exit of Ernesto from Florida. " We're back," said NASA spokesman Bill Johnson. "There was no water intrusion in any operational areas, and so basically we came through this one unscathed."

So the mission managers set Sept. 6 as the new date for the launch of Atlantis on STS-115, he said.