A “significant” number of artifacts, some of which had been in space, were taken from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson and sold, officials said Thursday.

Items reported missing “range from gloves, nuts, bolts, smaller items,” said Jeff Ollenburger, president and chief executive officer of the Cosmosphere.

Ollenburger said a total accounting of the missing items hadn’t been completed, but he noted, “This could run the gamut. The amounts are significant.”

Most of the items are the property of the Cosmosphere but some were on loan from NASA, he said.

The Cosmosphere referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for further investigation. No arrests have been made and no items have been recovered, he said.

Ollenburger said irregularities were detected during a routine inventory and audit in the Cosmosphere’s collection of artifacts. Auditors found that some of the items had been sold at auctions and by other methods.

He said the incident would not disrupt exhibits, education programs or general operations of the Cosmosphere, one of Kansas’ leading tourist attractions.

“The trust that people gave us — we cherish that responsibility, and we will make sure that whoever is responsible for this is held accountable,” he said.

Restoration work continues on Gemini 6 and Gemini 10 for the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum, he said.