The O-rings in the booster rockets on the space shuttle are designed to expand when heated to seal different chambers of the rocket so that solid rocket fuel is not ignited prematurely. According to engineering specifications, the O-rings expand by some amount, say at least 5%, to ensure a safe launch. Hypothetical data on the amount of O-ring expansion and the atmospheric temperature in Fahrenheit at the time of several different launches are given in the file Dat9-11.xls on your data disk.

a. Prepare a scatter plot of the data. Does there appear to be a linear relationship between these variables?

b. Obtain a simple linear regression model to estimate the amount of O-ring expansion as a function of atmospheric temperature. What is the estimated regression function?

c. Interpret the R2 statistic for the model you obtained.

d. Suppose that NASA officials are considering launching a space shuttle when the temperature is 29 degrees. What amount of O-ring expansion should they expect at this temperature, according to your model?

e. On the basis of your analysis of these data, would you recommend that the shuttle be launched if the temperature is 29 degrees? Why or why not?a.