The Jupiter 2

The Jupiter 2== Technology & Equipment ==

One of the most vital pieces of equipment was their environmental control robot B-9. The Robot was extremely strong, able to discharge strong electrostatic charges from his claws, could detect threats with his scanner, produce exact duplicates of small objects like a pair of gloves and could even detect faint smells (in "One of Our Dogs is Missing"). He could both understand speech as well as speak. In episode 8 ("Invaders From The Fifth Dimension") the Robot claims the ability to read human minds by "translating emitted thought waves back into words".

The crew had a variety of methods of transportation. First, there was the two-deck, nuclear powered Jupiter 2 flying saucer spacecraft. (In the original pilot, the ship was named "Gemini 12", and consisted of a single deck.) One critical technology aboard the Jupiter 2 was the suspended animation "freezing tubes" which made interstellar space travel feasible. When they were on a planet, the crew used an amphibious tracked exploration vehicle called the "Chariot" that had clear body panels and roof, seismograph, scanner, solar batteries, a gun rack and "gun hatch." The space "Pod" -- a small spacecraft modeled on the Apollo Lunar Module added to the show in its third and final season—was used to travel from its bay in the Jupiter 2 to destinations either on land or in space. On occasion, Prof. Robinson or Major West used what was then an exciting new invention: the jet pack.

For self-defense, the crew of the Jupiter 2 (including Will Robinson on occasion against his parents' wishes) had an "arsenal" of laser guns at their disposal, both rifles and handguns. The crew also employed a force field around the Jupiter 2 for protection while on alien planets. They also used small transceivers to keep in touch with each other when away from the ship.

The Jupiter 2 had technology that simplified or did away with mundane tasks. The "washing machine" took seconds to work, cleaning, ironing, folding, and packaging the clothes in plastic bags. The ship had no light bulbs. Maureen said the lights were "transistorized," perhaps meaning they were electroluminescent or built from arrays of light emitting diodes. "Protein pills" (a complete nutritional emergency substitute for whole foods) were featured in "The Hungry Sea" (air date: 31 Oct 1965) and "The Space Trader" (air date: 9 March 1966). In this, Lost in Space was ahead of NASA and Pillsbury which later developed "Space Food Sticks." Silver Reflective Space Blankets, a then new invention developed by NASA in 1964, were used in "The Hungry Sea" (air date: 13 Oct 1965) and "Attack of the Monster Plants" (air date: 15 Dec 1965).

On the other hand, sound and voice recording was less advanced, for example, using reel-to-reel tape recorders, and Prof. Robinson often put pen to paper to write journal entries in early episodes.