(CNN) NASA has lost priceless relics of space history, largely because of poor record keeping and follow-through, the agency's watchdog concluded.

The inspector general recently found "NASA does not have adequate processes in place to identify or manage its heritage assets."

That has led NASA to lose track of items that flew in space, such as "an Apollo 11 lunar collection bag that contained lunar dust particles," and other historically significant items, like a prototype lunar rover that was sold to a scrap yard.

NASA told the inspector general's office in a memo that it would develop better processes for dealing with historical items by the spring of May 2020. The agency did not immediately respond to CNN for comment.

The rover turned up "in a residential neighborhood in Alabama" and was spotted by an Air Force historian. When contacted by the government, the owner "expressed interest in returning the vehicle to NASA."

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