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The mystery of a missing Apollo booster is finally solved. NASA found the rocket part on the moon, more than 40 years later.

Ever since Apollo 13, NASA would crash the spacecraft’s booster onto the surface of the moon. The hope was to better understand the structure of the moon by measuring the seismic impact on the lunar surface.

After sending the booster from Apollo 16 to the moon’s surface in 1972, NASA lost contact with it.

A robotic camera orbiting the moon recently located the landing site after more than 40 years.

NASA scientists said it took this long since the landing site was so far away from earlier predictions.

Apollo 16 was the 5th mission to land on the moon. John Young, who grew up in Orlando, was the mission’s commander.

Images of the Apollo 16 booster crash site on the surface of the moon. Photo: NASA