NASA is a special place.

It sends astronauts into space with remarkable precision.

It boosts our knowledge of the universe with amazing pictures and scientific exploration.

It regularly ranks at the top of surveys tracking federal employee engagement and morale.

So, why can't the agency that documents the stars and the planets keep better track of its earthly goods?

A new report from the agency's Office of Inspector General says despite decades of improvements "a significant amount of historic personal property has been lost, misplaced, or taken by former employees and contractors due to the Agency's lack of adequate procedures."

Consider the report's account of these items that floated away:

— In 2014, a lunar rover vehicle prototype was found in a Blountsville, Ala., residential neighborhood. The owner was willing to return it to NASA, but "after waiting more than 4 months for a decision from NASA, the individual sold the rover to a scrap yard. NASA officials subsequently offered to buy the rover, but the scrap-yard owner refused and, realizing the historical value of the rover, sold the vehicle at auction for an undisclosed sum." NASA and the inspector general had no information on how the rover got away to being with.

— "Poor record keeping contributed to NASA losing possession of an Apollo 11 lunar collection bag that contained lunar dust particles." Authorities retrieved the bag in 2013, and the U.S. Marshals Service sold it to a private citizen in 2015 for $995. After one arm of the government sold the moon bag, another arm, NASA, sued to get the bag back but lost. In July 2017, the bag was auctioned for $1.8 million.

— The inspector general's office learned an "Omega Speedmaster Professional watch — a model NASA selected to use in space during space shuttle missions — was being auctioned in London, in December 2014. Because of NASA's poor record keeping, it was not clear if this watch was actually flown during a space shuttle mission; however, the watch was in the possession of German astronaut Reinhard Furrer at the time of his death." The government paid $2,300 for the watch and sent it to the Smithsonian for exhibition.

— A NASA supervisor told an employee to throw away three Apollo 11 hand controllers, like video game joysticks, in 1985. Instead, the employee took the controllers home, and years later, sold them to a space memorabilia collector. NASA tried to get the controllers back so they could be displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "After 3 years, NASA discontinued its pursuit of the items."

Separately, you can be the first in your crowd to own a piece of space memorabilia. Heritage Auctions is selling what it describes as "Neil Armstrong's Owned and Worn Early Flight Suit Directly From The Armstrong Family Collection." As of Tuesday afternoon, the bid for the one-piece, light blue cotton jumpsuit with an "embroidered NASA 'meatball' vector patch at the left breast" was $11,000.