WASHINGTON, March 4 (Xinhua) -- After the hail damage that occurred on the tank during a severe thunderstorm last week, the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis is rolled back to hangar for repairs on Sunday, according to NASA TV.

    The shuttle was removed from its seaside launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning at 8:47 a.m. (1347 GMT). The trip back took approximately seven hours and was hard down inside the Vehicle Assembly Building around 4 p.m. (2100 GMT).

    The hail that happened on Feb. 26 caused approximately 1,000 to 2,000 divots in the giant tank's foam insulation and minor surface damage to about 26 heat shield tiles on the orbiter's left wing.

    Further inspection of the tank is necessary to get an accurate appraisal of foam damage and must be done in the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the entire tank can be more easily accessed. Once an up-close look at the damage is complete, the type of repair required and the time needed for that work can be determined.

    The flight mission of Atlantis to the International Space Station will be scheduled sometime after a Russian Soyuz spacecraft returns from the station. The Soyuz is delivering new station crew members and returning others to Earth in late April. Adequate time is needed between the Soyuz undocking and the shuttle's arrival to the station.

    The six-man crew of Atlantis will continue training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as they await a new target launch date.