In its day, Space Patrol was a pretty popular program (Boy, if that isn't the understatement of the year....). It began as a 15-minute television show on KECA in California on March 9, 1950. But six months later, it would become the half-hour Saturday show we remember most today.

The story of the spaceship Terra and its crew, who were all responsible for policing the United Planets of the 30th century, Space Patrol struck an exciting chord with viewers. Every week for the next five years, they tuned in to see how Corry (Ed Kemmer), Cadet Happy (Lyn Osborne) and Carol Karlyle (Virginia Hewitt) fared against mad scientists, space pirates and an assortment of weird extraterrestrial creatures. Their most famously foiled villains included Mr. Proteus, Captain Dagger, the Space Spider and the Black Falcon.

Those who couldn't get enough of the television show had only to turn on their radios twice a week to follow even more harrowing exploits from the Terra crew. And when both the radio and TV shows were over, they could always read Space Patrol comics and collect an assortment of Space Patrol premiums, including space suits, helmets, communicators, signal flashlights, a mini spaceport, a rocket cockpit, Paralyzer Ray Gun, Cosmic Ray Gun and trading cards.

During the show's five-year run, which ended in the summer of 1955, an estimated total of 210 Saturday TV episodes, 200 radio programs and 900 15-minute shows were produced.

The most coveted Space Patrol premium of all was the amazing “Terra V” Rocket Ship, which not only served as a nifty ship replica, but was also a film projector and flashlight.

It looked like the amazing Space Patrol “Terra V” Rocket Ship, but it was actually a dual-purpose film projector and flashlight. And did you know that today it's considered one of the most rare and sought after premiums around?

Even back in 1953, the Project-O-Scope (as the piece is also known) was not a toy to be handled with anything less than the utmost care. Comprised of two scientifically designed lenses, a flashlight bulb and genuine microfilm (just like the kind real spies used), the Project-O-Scope could be used as either a film projector or a handy flashlight, making it an item of imagination and practicality. Best of all, it came in the form of an authentic reproduction of the famous Space Patrol “Terra V” Rocket Ship. It included four series of film-strip adventures, with six pictures to each series. But you had to be careful - rough handling of this treasure resulted in the breaking of the bulb and an abrupt end to all your Space Patrol viewing exploits.