lost in space time travel

How Lost In Space Time Travel Works

Lost in Space the full cast in front of the stars

Bear with me for a moment here, but I feel like we’ve done this before. Not the time travel write ups, as that’s obviously a recurring feature we’re running here at CinemaBlend. But there’s this nagging sense of déjà vu I can’t seem to shake. Eh, such are the occupational hazards when you examine traveling from here to there in the now and then, and today’s case file is literally out of control. Get ready to be flung into the uncharted stars, and crashing the barriers of time itself, as we’re about to look at how the time travel in Lost in Space works!

Though before we move too far, don’t forget that we have plenty of other time travel case files stacked on our desks here at the CinemaBlend labs! And we’re proud to say that this is our first reader request that we hadn’t already thought to list on the docket. It’s for that reason we encourage you all to send us your suggestions as to which time travel stories we should tackle in the future. You never know what stories are lying out there, waiting for their time to come. Now, with the Robinsons tucked in on the Jupiter 2, and hell about to break loose, let’s go get Lost in Space .

Lost in Space Older Will shows off the time machine to his father

The Time Travel in Lost In Space

Lost in Space was supposed to be your standard “save the world” mission. The Robinson family, under the watchful eye of Major Don West ( Matt LeBlanc ,) were going to colonize Alpha Prime and complete the Hypergate link that’d evacuate Earth’s citizens to a new and fruitful planet. And then sabotage sent them hurtling into the depths of space, where the star charts aren’t exactly up to date, and a mysterious temporal event would have a huge effect on their journey moving forward.

Who's Time Traveling

The entire compliment of Lost in Space’s travelers aboard the Jupiter 2 get to engage in a little bit of time travel. The Robinsons: Professors John (William Hurt) and Maureen (Mimi Rogers,) as well as their children, Judy (Heather Graham), Penny ( Lacey Chabert ), and Will (Jack Johnson) were supposed to be the only other people on board the ship. However, thanks to saboteur Dr. Zachary Smith ( Gary Oldman ) accidentally stowing away, he’s part of the fun as well; and with a deadly secret that eventually complicates matters.

From When To When

The temporal distortion seems to stretch between the years of 2058, where the film and its Jupiter Mission starts, to the year of 2078, 20 years in the future. Though, fun fact, 2078 looks like a lot different than it should, considering our last trip to 2074 in Looper was very restrained compared to this.

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The Purpose Of Their Trip

For the Robinsons of 2058, the trip into the temporal distortion created by Lost in Space’s time machine is an unknown journey. But for the older Will Robinson (Jared Harris), breaking the walls of time is meant to do only one thing: save his family from certain death by preventing them from ever leaving Earth in the first place, where as Dr. Smith, mutated into a creature known as “Spider Smith,” wants to go back and take over Earth, via his spider eggs just waiting to hatch. Ultimately, Will uses this power to send his father back to the Jupiter-2 just as it’s about to crash into some space debris while trying to escape.

Lost in Space Older Will mans the controls on top of the portal

How Time Travel Happens In Lost In Space

Lost in Space operates on a principle I like to call “Chekov’s Time Machine.” As we see young Will Robinson’s experiments in creating a temporal distortion device yield some interesting school science projects, it’s eventually revealed that Will’s designs were pretty solid. With 20 years, and only an older/mutated Dr. Smith to nurture his ambitions, Older Will creates a working portal to the past. Using the HyperEngine and core materials from the Jupiter-2, Will’s older self is able to open a portal to the exact co-ordinates of the mission launch back in 2058. Generating a window in time that one could literally walk, or jump, through, Lost in Space makes it as simple as turning on the machine, punching in the time and place you’re looking to go back to, and making it happen.

There are some stipulations though, as Lost in Space sees one really huge caveat included in its temporal traveling: there’s only enough power to send one person back on one trip. Will Robinson isn’t trying to spy on the future and see what’s going to happen, but rather he wants to just jump back in one specific trip to make things right in his eyes. It doesn’t matter where or when you’re going either, as the power limitations are what they are. Also, the planet the Jupiter-2 crash landed on is eventually torn apart by Will's experiment, leaving the family with no choice but to once again take a blind hyperjump at the end of the movie.

One final note: if you’re looking to time travel in the world of Lost in Space , another key thing to know is that you’ll have to literally look before you leap. As Older Will Robinson drops his father onto the bridge of the Jupiter-2, we see him fall through the portal and right to the floor. So it’s probably a good idea to program your journey to somewhere that has a nice couch, or at the very least a ball pit, is available to cushion the fall.

Lost in Space John watches his family die with Older Will behind him

Can History Be Changed As A Result Of Time Travel In Lost In Space?

The history can definitely be changed in Lost in Space’s method of time travel. In a pseudo-time loop sort of scenario similar to what we’ve seen in Star Trek: Generations , Will Robinson is able to send his father back to the moment where his family is trying to leave the surface of the planet. With the knowledge of how they die fresh in his mind, as well as some his patented scientific knowhow, Professor John Robinson saves the day by remembering the pattern of events that killed his family and thinking quickly to evade them.

By doing so, John theoretically erases Older Will’s existence, as Young Will is no longer going to be trapped with Spider Smith on the barren planet he would have called home. There’s even a chance that Dr. Smith can be cured of the slow mutation he suffers after taking a space spider bite in an earlier set piece. And as a bonus, Professor Robinson never has to worry about running into his past self, because he loops back to the present day through this trip, as he was already 20 years in the future. So technically, Will was sending his father home in the end.

Lost in Space the Robinsons reunited on the Jupiter 2 bridge

What Are The Consequences Of Time Travel In Lost In Space?

Time travel does wonders for the space family Robinson, as Lost in Space allows John to learn the ultimate lesson of being there for his family. But even just bringing back his knowledge of the family’s death helps alter things for the better, by preventing the wreck of the Jupiter-2. Allowing the entire cast to survive for a sequel that some folks probably still have hopes for, the Robinson family and Major Don West hyperjump into the unknown yet again. Which leads to a crucial difference that Lost in Space makes in the post-time travel storyline .

The Jupiter-2 crew now has the tools to get to where they’re hoping to go, thanks to their quick trip to an orbiting spaceship earlier in their time displaced adventures. The ship now has updated navigational information it didn’t have to begin with, which would have stranded the entire family in the depths of space. Nothing like popping onto a derelict ship from 20 years in the future, raiding the glove box, and finding an updated map of the stars! Though the turn of the millennium aesthetic will still remain, so depending on whether you’re into that sort of thing or not, this is either the best day ever or hell in the icy coldness of space.

Lost in Space Major West and the Robinsons

Here We Go Again

Bear with me for a moment here, but I feel like we’ve done this before. Not the time travel write ups, as that’s obviously a recurring feature we’re running here at CinemaBlend. But there’s this nagging sense of déjà vu I can’t seem to shake. Get ready… to help me figure out how to get out of our first actual time loop! Call it fate, call it destiny, call it we’ve scheduled our next adventure in advance and the time continuum is about to get screwy, as we’re about to go somewhere we’ve never gone before: the Edge of Tomorrow !

While being caught in this new temporal loop isn’t going to be fun, and the coffee’s going to be the same day in and day out, it will be exciting to go from talking about here to there in the now and then to trying to figure out how to escape the here and now. Strange times are ahead readers, and I’m not sure how email works in a time loop. So if you send us more requests for which temporal anomalies you want us to dissect next, I might be a little bit delayed in receiving them. Bear with me for a moment here, but I feel like we’ve done this before.

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.

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How Netflix's Lost in Space goes old-school to find the future

The family-in-space saga features tech that's probably familiar to most of us today. Its executive producers share why.

Sure, Robot may be a little too futuristic, but the rest of the technology in Lost in Space you'll find pretty familiar.

There's plenty to like about Netflix's Lost in Space , a series streaming now about the most unlucky family ever in television history. One of the things that makes for great watching is the technology, which is familiar yet advanced enough to suggest what we could see 30 years from now.

I chatted with Lost in Space executive producers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless to find out just how carefully crafted and thought out the tech in the show was, and how much of what you see on screen is real.

Some spoilers ahead, so if you haven't yet finished binging the series (and you should go do that now).

The tech in Lost in Space feels like it evolved from current technology. How much of what's taking place today influenced what's on the show? Burk Sharpless: Even though the show is placed 30 years in the future, we wanted it to be very relatable to people nowadays.

There are two different technologies. One is the Robinsons', their Earth technology. The second is that robot alien technology. And in terms of the Earth technology, we were very inspired by NASA and tried to imagine what next-generation NASA technology would be.

To that end, we definitely geared more towards almost old-school mechanical switches rather than touchscreens that you might have on your smartphone now. Because these days, as you know, technology will fail. If anything, in our show things will break and go wrong.

So we wanted the technologies to reflect the fact that it'd have to be prepared for anything to go wrong, so we almost had an old-fashioned view of technology. The ISS and the space shuttle had a lot of older technology on board because it was more stable. The last thing you want to have in space is having your computer crash, because then everybody dies.

There are lots of mechanical switches in the ship controls (as opposed to touchscreens).

With everyone using radios and wrist computers to communicate, do smartphones still exist in the future? Sharpless: You know, there's a moment in the first episode where Penny has a smartphone from Earth and it's packed with photos and memories and books. Our thought was now that everybody has a smartphone on Earth, that's probably something we don't think is ever going to change, right?

The wrist computers you see them have, what we tried to do is think of what would you want if you were going to be in an action situation, so we were inspired by some of the stuff we've seen in outdoor magazines such as Popular Mechanics and to give it sort of an outdoorlike, going-to-Everest kind of things the mountaineers used.

Our outdoor tent also had sort of a rugged look, in the color orange and stuff. We wanted to give that sense of adventure and survival gear. You see a lot of outdoor gear for our tent. Our Chariots are all based on what we would see today but they have electric engines and solar power. But the insides, the controls are very much what we see today.

The Chariots you see in the show are real, but run on petrol engines. Keep an out eye for an exhaust pipe -- something you won't see in a real EV.

So that leads to the question, did you build actual Chariots? Matt Sazama: Yes we did. Which it turns out is very difficult to have them run properly. The Chariots were built from scratch from the ground up. We did not use an existing car or a chassis or anything. We learned that car companies actually take many years and many rounds of R&D to make a car and we've built ours in a matter of months. We did have some challenges in filming it but they were pretty amazing machines.

Sharpless: The cast didn't get to drive that much so what you see on screen is not them driving but stunt drivers because they're too fast. A lot of the shots you did see were the real Chariots. We did have a few shots that were digital, but a lot of what you see is real.

How fast did the Chariots go? Sazama: It was like 50 or 60 miles an hour. And we didn't mean for them to be able to be that fast. But they could and did. I remember our showrunner Zack [Estrin] was actually shocked at how quickly they went.

Sharpless: Of course, they were actually rumbling combustion engines. We did not have actual electric engines, which is funny. If you look closely, the Chariots have exhaust pipes, which of course electric cars would not have.

High-altitude balloons are a real tech that make an appearance in the series.

How much of the science in Lost in Space is real? It feels real enough to a casual viewer. Sharpless: We used science as a starting place for every idea on what the Robinsons confronted. What we wanted to do was to keep the show relatable enough on sort of a ground level. So the audience could enjoy that sort of "what would I do" question. After all, you know the show hearkens back to the Swiss Family Robinson, right? So there's something kind of fun about trying to figure out what would you do in that situation.

To actually bring an audience into that is to start with real science, so certainly it has to be something that we knew about, we had read about, we were excited about. And we designed it kind of what like we thought that would be a version of that 30 years in the future.

Other things, and I know that this isn't exactly tech, but the stuff about the black hole being in the rotation around the sun and a binary black hole system, that's based on things that astronomers believe actually exists and so these are the things we can sort of go through in the show.

What about the Jupiter? The saucer design is definitely not something we typically associate with current spacecraft. Is it more of a callback to the original Lost in Space? Sharpless: Part of making a show like this is finding that sort of intercession between the pleasure of the audience and the science. And the Jupiter was ultimately a spacecraft that was designed for a callback to the original and to fulfill sort of like the fun and the needs of a family.

So, obviously, the Jupiter would fly just fine in space. The way in which it launches, the VTOL [vertical take-off and landing] aspect is definitely not the way an astrophysicist would envision it. However, we will say that in episode eight, the sequence with the destruction of venting engines, all of the business of trying to make a ship lighter, and all of the business of the different kinds of methane-based fuels that they used, well we need quite a bit of research for that. I think we used to jump back to the older NASA days to create a fun experience for the audience.

The Jupiter spacecraft from Lost in Space.

But in the show, the Jupiters don't exactly jump through space? Sazama: We definitely designed Jupiter to be an interplanetary craft rather than an interstellar craft, which is why we have the big Resolute mothership. That ship is actually capable of jumping through space to go to other planets.

The actual Jupiter craft is designed to go like from a planet to a moon or fly around in an atmosphere of an actual planet, which we thought was more realistic than having an utmost craft like that to be able to go anywhere in the stars.

The idea was that Jupiters were kinda like campers, that even every family would take their Jupiter and at the end of a journey, would become the centerpiece of their homestead. This is why the ships have the pop-outs and extend out to make their ship a little bigger. Think of them as space Winnebagos.

Technically, this lift-off isn't actually realistic.

The show itself features both real science and magic science, especially toward the last few episodes. How real is the magic science? Sazama: We felt like asking audiences to believe that the Robinsons and Earth in 2046 had interstellar travel was too big of a jump, and now that everybody has watched the show, you can see that we didn't go there. The ability to travel quickly is an interstellar matter and actually is a big science fiction leap like you might see in 2001: A Space Odyssey .

It's definitely well beyond our ability, particularly the "alien engine" that you see in episode 10. While it's not magic, the science that it's using it is so far beyond humans that it's very hard for us to understand. It's also a bit of a nod to the book and movie of Contact , if we're to come in contact with really mind-boggling alien technology, that's how it would be.

Sharpless: Also in the show, we've used gravity as one of those things to differentiate between a thing that human technology could achieve in 30 years and something that's way beyond anything that we could do probably in 300 years, so you have to look to aliens for help.

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Lost in Space Guide: Changes Between Shows and Movie - Netflix Tudum

.css-1ylq17j em,.css-1ylq17j i{font-variation-settings:'ital' 1;}.css-1ylq17j strong,.css-1ylq17j b{font-weight:700;} How Does ‘Lost in Space’ Compare to the Original Series and Movie?

For more than 55 years, the space-exploring Robinson family has been a part of pop culture, from the original Lost in Space series (1965–1968) to Netflix’s current run. But while the core family has remained the same, what sent them to space changes each time.

What has remained the same outside of the core family? A troublesome Dr. Smith (or Dr. Smith-like figure) who messes things up, a devoted robot and a future-set timeline.

As for what is different? Well, only one version of the story features space spiders.

Here’s how the two shows, as well as the 1998 film, stack up against each other.

Lost in Space Comparing to the Original Image 1

The Original Series:

The Premise:

In 1997, the United States is on the cusp of colonizing space and wants to send a family as their test run. Enter the Robinsons, who agree to a five-year trek to an Earth-like planet. But a foreign nation wanting to thwart the mission sends Dr. Smith to tamper with a robot on board the family’s spacecraft, the Jupiter 2. In the process, Smith becomes trapped, and his added weight, as well as the robot’s malfunction, sends the ship into the unknown.

Lost in Space Comparing to the Original Image 2

The Characters:

Dr. John Robinson (Guy Williams): The Robinson patriarch is also the commander of the family's expedition.

Dr. Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart): The Robinson matriarch is a biochemist who is often seen preparing meals, tending the garden and helping with light construction while adding a voice of compassion.

Major Don West (Mark Goddard): The ship's pilot is a former officer for the US Space Corps.

Judy Robinson (Marta Kristen): The Robinson’s eldest child, who is drawn to Don.

Lost in Space Comparing to the Original Inline 3

Penny Robinson (Angela Cartwright): The middle Robinson child, whose love of animals leads to her adopting Debbie, a chimpanzee-like creature.

Will Robinson (Bill Mumy): The youngest Robinson child, who is wise beyond his years.

Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris): A saboteur whose accidental presence on the Jupiter 2 knocks the ship off course.

Lost in Space - Comparing to the Original - The Robot

The Robot (Bob May, voiced by Dick Tufeld) : He has super strength and the ability to do complex calculations.

How it Ends:

Upon landing on a junkyard planet, an inhabitant steals the ship with Dr. Smith as a hostage. Will chases after the captor, hoping to change his mind.

The Feature Film:

In the year 2058, Earth is dying, so civilization is desperate to find a new home. The Robinson family is chosen to make the trek to a new planet, Alpha Prime, where they will set up a portal that will allow the rest of humanity to follow them. Dr. Smith is hired to foil the journey, but he’s betrayed by his employers, who trap him on the ship. Smith tinkers with the onboard robot and the crew finds itself off course.

Professor John Robinson (William Hurt): The Robinson patriarch, whose creation of the needed Hypergate technology can save humanity.

Professor Maureen Robinson (Mimi Rogers): The Robinson matriarch, whose role is minimal. Dr. Judy Robinson (Heather Graham): The eldest Robinson child, who also serves as the ship’s doctor.

Lost in Space - Comparing to the Original - Lacy Chabert as Penny Robinson

Penny Robinson (Lacey Chabert): The rebellious middle Robinson child.

Lost in Space - Comparing to the Original - Will Robinson

Will Robinson (Jack Johnson; Jared Harris plays the older version): The youngest Robinson child, who is wise beyond his years.

Major Don West (Matt LeBlanc): The ship’s pilot.

Dr. Zachary Smith (Gary Oldman): A hired gun who sabotages the Robinson family’s planned space journey.

Robot (Voice of Dick Tufeld): An artificial intelligence that is programmed to take care of the Robinsons, until Dr. Smith tinkers with it.

After defeating space spiders, the family heads on a path toward Alpha Prime.

Lost in Space - Comparing to the Original - Netflix

The Netflix Series :

In the year 2046, the residents of Earth are still trying to cope with the fallout of the changing atmosphere and dangerous living conditions following a meteor-like strike. The Robinson family is among the group of settlers selected to travel, via the ship Resolute, to Alpha Centauri, where civilization can start anew. But a robot invasion on the ship forces the groups into pods, and they crash-land on a neighboring planet.

John Robinson (Toby Stephens): The Robinson patriarch is a former Navy SEAL who has spent much of the recent past away from his wife, Maureen, as well as their kids, Judy, Penny and Will.

Judy Robinson (Taylor Russell): The ambitious eldest Robinson daughter serves as a doctor for the family.

Penny Robinson ( Mina Sundwall ): The middle Robinson child, who struggles to live up to her sister’s success but finds her own voice through writing.

Will Robinson (Maxwell Jenkins): The youngest Robinson, who isn’t quite prepared for the realities of a space mission, until he befriends Robot.

June Harris/Zoe Smith (Parker Posey): June, a criminal, assumes her sister’s identity to be onboard the Resolute. But when it comes close to falling apart, she steals Dr. Zachary Smith’s ID, calling herself Zoe Smith.

Don West (Ignacio Serricchio): A mechanic on the Resolute who is fiercely devoted to his pet chicken, Debbie. He’s also a part-time smuggler.

Robot (Brian Steele): An alien robot who quickly bonds with Will after the boy saves his life.

The family stops the robot invasion and frees themselves. Alpha Centauri is no longer the haven they wanted post-war, but the family is happy: Will and Robot explore space, Penny continues writing, Judy continues her medical career, Smith is locked up for her crimes, John is finally able to slow down and find peace and Maureen works on building a new spaceship.

After crash-landing on an alien planet, the Robinson family fights against all odds to survive and escape. But they're surrounded by hidden dangers.

All About Lost in Space

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Lost in Space

1998, Sci-fi, 2h 11m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Clumsily directed and missing most of the TV series' campy charm, Lost in Space sadly lives down to its title. Read critic reviews

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Lost in space photos.

The space family Robinson is on a journey to Alpha Prime in the hopes of establishing a colony there and thereby saving humanity from extinction. Their plans are foiled by the evil Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman) and they find themselves curiously enough, lost in space.

Rating: PG-13 (Some Intense Sci-Fi Action)

Genre: Sci-fi

Original Language: English

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Producer: Carla Fry , Akiva Goldsman , Stephen Hopkins , Mark W. Koch , Julie Pye , Hugo Sands

Writer: Irwin Allen , Akiva Goldsman

Release Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 1998 wide

Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2008

Box Office (Gross USA): $69.1M

Runtime: 2h 11m

Distributor: New Line Cinema

Production Co: Saltire Entertainment [gb], New Line Cinema, Irwin Allen Productions, Prelude Pictures

Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

William Hurt

Mission Commander Professor John Robinson, Ph. D.

Mimi Rogers

Life Sciences Officer Maureen Robinson, Ph.D.

Heather Graham

Mission Medical Officer Judy Robinson, Ph.D.

Lacey Chabert

Video Mechanics Officer Penny Robinson

Jack Johnson

Robotics Officer Will Robinson

Gary Oldman

Base Physician Zachary Smith, Ph.D.

Matt LeBlanc

Flight Control Officer Major Don West

Jared Harris

Older Will Robinson

Mark Goddard

Lennie James

Marta Kristen

Reporter No. 1

June Lockhart

Principal Cartwright

Business Man

Lab Technician

Angela Cartwright

Reporter No. 2

Dick Tufeld

Rambler-Crane series Robot Voice

Stephen Hopkins

Irwin Allen

Akiva Goldsman

Colin Brown

Executive Producer

Michael De Luca

Mark W. Koch

Mace Neufeld

Robert Rehme

Richard Saperstein

Bruce Broughton

Original Music

Cinematographer

Ray Lovejoy

Film Editing

Norman Garwood

Production Design

Anna Pinnock

Set Decoration

Steven Lawrence

Art Director

News & Interviews for Lost in Space

24 Grooviest Adaptations of ’60s TV

Critic Reviews for Lost in Space

Audience reviews for lost in space.

A big-budget adaption of the classic '60s television show, Lost in Space is a cheesy and cliché sci-fi action-comedy. While on a deep space mission to a new human colony the Robinson's ship is critically damaged, leading them to use their experimental hyperdrive to escape the sun's gravity; but in doing so they end up being transported to an unexplored region of space. Starring William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, and Gary Oldman, the cast is fairly strong; however, their performances are barely serviceable. Also, the writing is rather poor, featuring a nonsensical plot and incredibly weak dialog. Still, the set designs and costumes give the film an interesting look and felt, and the special effects are pretty good (though some of the CGI is rough). Additionally, there are several exciting action scenes with space battles, robots, and alien creatures. Lost in Space is kind of fun at time, but overall it's a convoluted mess.

A good film if you're under 10, Any older and you won't really enjoy it, But for its time it was ok, But nothing that will be remembered.

Hey you remember Matt LeBlanc? he was in Friends for virtually the entire of the 90's and just like Jennifer Aniston he simply can't shake his character, yes...him. So this is an adaptation of the rather lame US TV series of the same name which always kinda seemed like a rip off of Star Trek with kids. Being your typical 90's action flick the film is chock full of terrible CGI, from a really nasty looking space alien monkey thing to lots of shockingly bad looking light and space effects. There is a combination of model work which in places does look reasonable but alas most other areas of the film such as the sets are really poor and plastic-ish in appearance, whilst costumes are merely dull grey and unoriginal. The plot is a complete jumbled jigsaw of a mess involving the age old notion of time travel, unfortunately you really have to have a tight plot to pull this off annnnd this doesn't. You don't care about any of the characters down to stale acting, Lacey Chabert looks as if she's been swimming the whole time yet is oddly quite sexy with her squeaky voice. She was 16 at the time I believe, should I be locked up?! Even Hurt can't inject quality into this pantomime, Oldman fares somewhat better but there really isn't anything he could of done. The original series was camp family space age fun so of course the film was never gonna be serious sci-fi but clearly they wanted it to be semi serious. This was the problem because the whole thing is basically a cartoon or as I like to think of it...Schumacher's 'Batman and Robin' in space...with Matt LeBlanc who was clearly added to capitalize on his brief moment in the limelight. Just another attempted fast food franchise rolled off the Hollywood factory line, badly conceived, poorly made and vanished into movie obscurity.

Lost in Space is a fairly decent film. I first saw it when it was originally released, and I expected to hate it. However, I was surprised. The cast are good here, and they are good to watch on-screen. Though the film is not perfect, Lost in Space is a decent, entertaining film that will appeal to anyone looking for a good Sci Fi yarn. This film will most likely appeal to fans of the TV series, instead of straight forward Sci-Fi film fans. I didn't hate this film, but it was almost a dud for me. There's entertaining bits here and there, but by the time the credits roll, you realize that there's something missing to really make this film truly good. Director Stephen Hopkins crafts a decent film for sure, but this is an imperfect film that could have been much better. The film has script limitations and it's evident that the film has a strained feel right from the get go. The film manages to be entertaining, but it's not quite perfect. I liked the film for what it was, but it could be so much better than this. If you enjoy Sci Fi films then this is a must see, however it has plenty of imperfections, and like I said so many times before; this film could have been better. But for the most part, this is an entertaining film that anyone might like if you're in the right mood. Lost in Space is enjoyable and manages to be a fun, entertaining two hours despite all its flaws. Like I stated, this film will probably appeal more to fans of the show, I never seen the show, but I thought it was pretty decent for what it was. The film isn't as bad as people have claimed it would be; I have seen far worst than this.

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Lost In Space: a complete timeline

With Word that a new Lost In Space television series is coming to Netflix (based on the '60s show that celebrated its 50th Anniversary last year), Empire offers up the following timeline of the franchise.

Gold Key Comics publishes Space Family Robinson , which follows a family of scientists on Earth's Space Station One who are swept away by a cosmic storm. The family consists of patriarch Craig Robinson, matriarch June, son Tim, daughter Tam, a dog named Clancy and a parrot named Yakker. Space Station One is equipped with a pair of spacemobiles which allows for ship-to-planet travel.

Producer Irwin Allen ( Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Time Tunnel, Land Of The Giants, The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno ), 20th Century Fox and CBS develop and launch Lost In Space . They reach an agreement with Gold Key that allows the show to use the name Robinson and the comic to add the words "Lost In Space" to its title.

Things start off as a somewhat serious drama chronicling the Robinsons and their fate summed up by the show's title. The premise is that the Robinsons are investigating a planet near the Alpha Centauri star to see about colonization to help with an overpopulated Earth, however things very quickly go campy and get sillier as the focus shifts to the characters of Dr. Zachary Smith, Will Robinson and The Robot. The ensemble spends the majority of the first two seasons stranded on a pair of different planets and getting involved in bizarre adventures as they try to survive. The third season sees them traveling to different worlds.

Lost In Space is cancelled at the end of season three.

Cast of Characters

Dr. John Robinson (Guy Williams): Patriarch of the family, commander, pilot and astrophysicist specializing in applied planetary geology.

Dr. Maureen Robinson (June Lockhart): Biochemist wife of John, but overall pretty much a typical housewife and mother of the time, only, you know....in space.

Major Don West (Mark Goddard): Military pilot of the Jupiter 2.

Judy Robinson (Marta Kristen): Oldest child of the Robinsons. Briefly a romantic interest for West.

Penny Robinson (Angela Cartwright): Middle child of the Robinsons, about 13 when the show begins.

Will Robinson (Bill Mumy): Youngest Robinson child, eventually becomes a focal point of the show with Dr. Smith and the ship's Robot.

Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris): Initially a saboteur of the Robinson mission, he finds himself inadvertently trapped with them and evolves into comic relief.

Robot (performed by Bob May, dubbed by Dick Tufeld): There to help the Robinsons, but often off on silly adventures with Will and Smith.

An animated sixty-minute Lost In Space film is produced as a pilot for an animated series, with the Jupiter 2 looking more like a space shuttle. The only two characters returning from the original are Dr. Smith (with Jonathan Harris providing the voice) and Robot (referred to as Robon), along with new younger characters.

Bill Mumy writes six of the issues of a Lost In Space comic book for Innovation Comics, which were set several years after the conclusion of the series.

A television retrospective called The Fantasy Worlds Of Irwin Allen is produced by Kevin Burns. It brings together Bill Mummy and June Lockhart, who serve to introduce clips from the various Allen sci-fi shows.

Burns returns to produce Lost In Space Forever , which is hosted by John Larroquette and the Robot. A highlight is the appearance of Mumy and Harris portraying older versions of Will Robinson and Dr. Smith.

Lost In Space is also produced as a feature film directed by Stephen Hopkins. The cast includes William Hurt as John Robinson, Mimi Rogers as Maureen Robinson, Heather Graham as Judy Robinson, Lacey Chabert as Penny Robinson, Jack Johnson as Will Robinson, Matt LeBlanc as Don West, Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith, Duck Tufeld reprising the role of The Robot, and Jared Harris as an older Will Robinson. Original cast members making cameos are Goddard, Lockhart, Cartwright and Kristen.

The Robinsons: Lost In Space is a TV pilot directed by John Woo that, had it gone to series, would have been a modern update on the original. The Jupiter 2 was turned into a planet-landing craft that would be deployed from a larger mothership. Smith is gone, Penny is a baby and there is a new Robinson child named David. The cast includes Brad Johnson as John Robinson, Jayne Brooke as Maureen, Adrianne Palicki as Judy, Ryan Malgarini as Will and Mike Erwin as Don West.

To commemorate the original show's 50th Anniversary, Irwin Allen's Lost In Space: The Complete Adventures is remastered and released on a Blu-ray box set that includes all 83 episodes.

Based on a report from Deadline, Netflix will be bringing Lost In Space back to television in a 10-episode first season that will be co-produced by Legendary TV and Burns' Synthesis Entertainment, the latter of which was created with the sole intent of transforming Allen's various productions into new incarnations. The pilot script is written by Dracula Untold 's Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, with The River 's Zack Estrin serving as showrunner.

"The new L_ost In Space_," says Deadline, "takes its cues from the original series, centering on the Robinson family, who is forced to come together in a time of crisis. Stranded light years from their intended destination, they find themselves battling a strange new alien environment and also their own personal demons."

Adds Cindy Holland, VP Original Content at Netflix, "The original series so deftly captured both drama and comedy, and that made it very appealing to a broad audience. The current creative team's reimagining of the series is sure to appeal to both fans who fondly remember the original and to create a new generation of enthusiasts around the world."

Screen Rant

Lost's time travel rules & effects explained.

Time travel plays a significant role in Lost, especially during the show’s later seasons, but how exactly does it work in the ABC series’ universe?

There are two types of time travel in Lost, one involving temporal displacement and the other physically occurring due to The Island.
" Whatever happened, happened " is a key rule of time travel in Lost. Changes in the timeline may occur, but the end result remains the same.
Time travel in Lost influences the present and the characters' circumstances, even if the timeline corrects for their actions.

Time travel is an important part of Lost ' s narrative, though it isn't explained until later in the ABC series — and the rules and effects may be confusing even after it's confirmed. Lost drew viewers into its central mystery with ease, following a group of plane crash survivors stranded on a seemingly deserted island. As the group realizes they're not alone — and their circumstances may be more extraordinary than they first imagined — the storyline gets increasingly complex. Lost 's constant twists were part of the show's appeal, and some of them were so bizarre that a time-traveling island didn't seem too off base.

Lost hints at its time travel themes in season 2, as the episode "The Long Con" finds Sayid and Hurley picking up a distress signal that could come from anywhere — or " any time ," as Hurley jests. And Hurley isn't far from the truth, as later seasons of Lost adopt this sci-fi narrative in earnest, especially after Desmond arrives on The Island and the DHARMA Initiative is introduced. As it turns out, The Island itself has the ability to move through time and space thanks to its electromagnetic barrier . There are also humans whose consciousness can venture through time in a non-linear fashion, making this aspect of Lost a perplexing one.

10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Lost, 19 Years Later

How time travel works in lost, the island's electromagnetic energy is the biggest factor.

Time travel is confusing within the world of Lost , but the show's version of this sci-fi concept is partly explained during a conversation between Daniel Faraday and Desmond in season 4, episode 5, "The Constant." Faraday studies time travel and even finds a way to send a rat's consciousness into the future. This enables the rat to know things it hasn't learned yet, similar to how Desmond realizes certain things will happen before they do. Unfortunately, this knowledge can't change the future. To avoid paradoxes, Lost drives home the fact that " whatever happened, happened." Essentially, a person can change the " how " of what happens, but not what happens.

Desmond's not the only character moving through time in Lost, as The Island itself toys with time and space in a way that impacts everyone on and around it. Many of Lost 's biggest mysteries are explained by The Island's powerful electromagnetic field, which throws off the timing of the things occurring near and on The Island from the very beginning. In Lost season 4, a missile takes longer than it should to reach its intended target just because it's fired near The Island. This is also why the survivors speak to Doc Ray over the radio even though he's seemingly dead at the time.

These oddities surrounding time and space on The Island are precisely what the DHARMA Initiative is studying, but the physical impact of time travel gets more intense when their " subject " becomes destabilized. A Frozen Wheel is able to channel The Island's electromagnetic energy. However, when it's turned, it causes far more noticeable shifts in time, physically transporting the survivors to various points in the past and future and even moving The Island itself. As Faraday tells Desmond, " Every equation needs stability. " The lack of it is likely what causes physical time travel to become so apparent later on.

All six seasons of Lost are currently streaming on Hulu.

Lost's Confirmed Methods Of Time Travel

Temporal displacement & physical time travel occur.

Lost appears to have two confirmed methods of time travel : temporal displacement and physical time travel via The Island. The former is what happens to Desmond as his mind moves him through time, a distinct experience compared to the flashbacks and flash-forwards the other characters have throughout Lost . Desmond realizes that he's moving through time and space, and he's frequently bewildered by the shift, as well as the knowledge he gains from it. He's forced to use a " constant " — in his case, his girlfriend Penny — to tether him to a stable point in time and allow him to emerge from his " travels " unscathed.

Lost confirms that temporal displacement can be fatal if a person or animal doesn't have a " constant, " something seen with Faraday's rat and George Minkowski. Being exposed to The Island's electromagnetic energy is what grants Desmond his time travel abilities , bringing the sci-fi phenomenon back to the show's setting. And this makes sense, as The Island itself is also responsible for the second confirmed type of time travel.

Lost also showcases physical time travel during its later seasons , though there are hints that The Island is moving through space and time before. A Frozen Wheel beneath The Island is used to stabilize its energy, and when Ben Linus turns it, the other characters are sent to different points of The Island's timeline . These time travel flashes throw the characters off-kilter, sending them to the past and future. Ben also manages to move The Island itself after destabilizing its power source. Locke eventually fixes the placement of the Frozen Wheel, but even the act of shifting it has odd consequences, transporting the person responsible to a desert in Tunisia.

Is "What Happened, Happened" Really True?

The future can't be changed in lost.

Lost 's time travel rule of " what happened, happened " does appear to be true , as Desmond is incapable of saving Charlie despite numerous efforts to prevent his death. Although Charlie's death is caused by different circumstances each time Desmond helps him cheat it, Charlie will always die. This inevitability helps Lost keep its timeline intact despite the introduction of time travel. The series emphasizes that whatever happens during time travel directly contributes to an already-set future. The characters' actions while traveling may change minor aspects of the timeline, but the end result always remains the same.

Whenever the characters do try to change the future in Lost, the timeline sets itself straight and redirects to the inevitable outcome . In the case of Charlie, he meets his end in the Lost season 3 finale, "Through the Looking Glass," sacrificing himself to save the other passengers. This is a different death than the ones Desmond saves him from earlier — drowning to save Claire and an arrow to the neck among them. However, if Charlie chose to save himself, he would have perished another way. Essentially, Lost takes a Final Destination approach to time travel. The characters can delay an outcome, but they can never completely avoid it.

How Lost's Time Travel Influences The Present

Time travel's influence on the present underscores lost's themes.

Although time travel in Lost can't change the future, it does seem to influence the present as the characters experience it. The show's timeline always corrects for the changes the characters make, so they aren't creating a multiverse of timelines with their antics. However, traveling through time does change their present circumstances. In Charlie's case, it even buys him more time and a different ending. In this way, time travel seems to further the ABC show's themes. Connection and fate vs. free will are huge elements throughout Lost 's six seasons. Although free will only goes so far, it does seem to make a difference to the characters' lives and relationships.

Time travel: Is it possible?

Science says time travel is possible, but probably not in the way you're thinking.

time travel graphic illustration of a tunnel with a clock face swirling through the tunnel.

Albert Einstein's theory

General relativity and GPS
Wormhole travel
Alternate theories

Science fiction

Is time travel possible? Short answer: Yes, and you're doing it right now — hurtling into the future at the impressive rate of one second per second.

You're pretty much always moving through time at the same speed, whether you're watching paint dry or wishing you had more hours to visit with a friend from out of town.

But this isn't the kind of time travel that's captivated countless science fiction writers, or spurred a genre so extensive that Wikipedia lists over 400 titles in the category "Movies about Time Travel." In franchises like " Doctor Who ," " Star Trek ," and "Back to the Future" characters climb into some wild vehicle to blast into the past or spin into the future. Once the characters have traveled through time, they grapple with what happens if you change the past or present based on information from the future (which is where time travel stories intersect with the idea of parallel universes or alternate timelines).

Related: The best sci-fi time machines ever

Although many people are fascinated by the idea of changing the past or seeing the future before it's due, no person has ever demonstrated the kind of back-and-forth time travel seen in science fiction or proposed a method of sending a person through significant periods of time that wouldn't destroy them on the way. And, as physicist Stephen Hawking pointed out in his book " Black Holes and Baby Universes" (Bantam, 1994), "The best evidence we have that time travel is not possible, and never will be, is that we have not been invaded by hordes of tourists from the future."

Science does support some amount of time-bending, though. For example, physicist Albert Einstein 's theory of special relativity proposes that time is an illusion that moves relative to an observer. An observer traveling near the speed of light will experience time, with all its aftereffects (boredom, aging, etc.) much more slowly than an observer at rest. That's why astronaut Scott Kelly aged ever so slightly less over the course of a year in orbit than his twin brother who stayed here on Earth.

Related: Controversially, physicist argues that time is real

There are other scientific theories about time travel, including some weird physics that arise around wormholes , black holes and string theory . For the most part, though, time travel remains the domain of an ever-growing array of science fiction books, movies, television shows, comics, video games and more.

Scott and Mark Kelly sit side by side wearing a blue NASA jacket and jeans

Einstein developed his theory of special relativity in 1905. Along with his later expansion, the theory of general relativity , it has become one of the foundational tenets of modern physics. Special relativity describes the relationship between space and time for objects moving at constant speeds in a straight line.

The short version of the theory is deceptively simple. First, all things are measured in relation to something else — that is to say, there is no "absolute" frame of reference. Second, the speed of light is constant. It stays the same no matter what, and no matter where it's measured from. And third, nothing can go faster than the speed of light.

From those simple tenets unfolds actual, real-life time travel. An observer traveling at high velocity will experience time at a slower rate than an observer who isn't speeding through space.

While we don't accelerate humans to near-light-speed, we do send them swinging around the planet at 17,500 mph (28,160 km/h) aboard the International Space Station . Astronaut Scott Kelly was born after his twin brother, and fellow astronaut, Mark Kelly . Scott Kelly spent 520 days in orbit, while Mark logged 54 days in space. The difference in the speed at which they experienced time over the course of their lifetimes has actually widened the age gap between the two men.

"So, where[as] I used to be just 6 minutes older, now I am 6 minutes and 5 milliseconds older," Mark Kelly said in a panel discussion on July 12, 2020, Space.com previously reported . "Now I've got that over his head."

General relativity and GPS time travel

Graphic showing the path of GPS satellites around Earth at the center of the image.

The difference that low earth orbit makes in an astronaut's life span may be negligible — better suited for jokes among siblings than actual life extension or visiting the distant future — but the dilation in time between people on Earth and GPS satellites flying through space does make a difference.

Can wormholes take us back in time?

General relativity might also provide scenarios that could allow travelers to go back in time, according to NASA . But the physical reality of those time-travel methods is no piece of cake.

Wormholes are theoretical "tunnels" through the fabric of space-time that could connect different moments or locations in reality to others. Also known as Einstein-Rosen bridges or white holes, as opposed to black holes, speculation about wormholes abounds. But despite taking up a lot of space (or space-time) in science fiction, no wormholes of any kind have been identified in real life.

Related: Best time travel movies

"The whole thing is very hypothetical at this point," Stephen Hsu, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Oregon, told Space.com sister site Live Science . "No one thinks we're going to find a wormhole anytime soon."

Primordial wormholes are predicted to be just 10^-34 inches (10^-33 centimeters) at the tunnel's "mouth". Previously, they were expected to be too unstable for anything to be able to travel through them. However, a study claims that this is not the case, Live Science reported .

The theory, which suggests that wormholes could work as viable space-time shortcuts, was described by physicist Pascal Koiran. As part of the study, Koiran used the Eddington-Finkelstein metric, as opposed to the Schwarzschild metric which has been used in the majority of previous analyses.

In the past, the path of a particle could not be traced through a hypothetical wormhole. However, using the Eddington-Finkelstein metric, the physicist was able to achieve just that.

Koiran's paper was described in October 2021, in the preprint database arXiv , before being published in the Journal of Modern Physics D.

Alternate time travel theories

While Einstein's theories appear to make time travel difficult, some researchers have proposed other solutions that could allow jumps back and forth in time. These alternate theories share one major flaw: As far as scientists can tell, there's no way a person could survive the kind of gravitational pulling and pushing that each solution requires.

Infinite cylinder theory

Astronomer Frank Tipler proposed a mechanism (sometimes known as a Tipler Cylinder ) where one could take matter that is 10 times the sun's mass, then roll it into a very long, but very dense cylinder. The Anderson Institute , a time travel research organization, described the cylinder as "a black hole that has passed through a spaghetti factory."

After spinning this black hole spaghetti a few billion revolutions per minute, a spaceship nearby — following a very precise spiral around the cylinder — could travel backward in time on a "closed, time-like curve," according to the Anderson Institute.

The major problem is that in order for the Tipler Cylinder to become reality, the cylinder would need to be infinitely long or be made of some unknown kind of matter. At least for the foreseeable future, endless interstellar pasta is beyond our reach.

Time donuts

Theoretical physicist Amos Ori at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, proposed a model for a time machine made out of curved space-time — a donut-shaped vacuum surrounded by a sphere of normal matter.

"The machine is space-time itself," Ori told Live Science . "If we were to create an area with a warp like this in space that would enable time lines to close on themselves, it might enable future generations to return to visit our time."

Amos Ori is a theoretical physicist at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. His research interests and publications span the fields of general relativity, black holes, gravitational waves and closed time lines.

There are a few caveats to Ori's time machine. First, visitors to the past wouldn't be able to travel to times earlier than the invention and construction of the time donut. Second, and more importantly, the invention and construction of this machine would depend on our ability to manipulate gravitational fields at will — a feat that may be theoretically possible but is certainly beyond our immediate reach.

Graphic illustration of the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) traveling through space, surrounded by stars.

Time travel has long occupied a significant place in fiction. Since as early as the "Mahabharata," an ancient Sanskrit epic poem compiled around 400 B.C., humans have dreamed of warping time, Lisa Yaszek, a professor of science fiction studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, told Live Science .

Every work of time-travel fiction creates its own version of space-time, glossing over one or more scientific hurdles and paradoxes to achieve its plot requirements.

Some make a nod to research and physics, like " Interstellar ," a 2014 film directed by Christopher Nolan. In the movie, a character played by Matthew McConaughey spends a few hours on a planet orbiting a supermassive black hole, but because of time dilation, observers on Earth experience those hours as a matter of decades.

Others take a more whimsical approach, like the "Doctor Who" television series. The series features the Doctor, an extraterrestrial "Time Lord" who travels in a spaceship resembling a blue British police box. "People assume," the Doctor explained in the show, "that time is a strict progression from cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."

Long-standing franchises like the "Star Trek" movies and television series, as well as comic universes like DC and Marvel Comics, revisit the idea of time travel over and over.

Related: Marvel movies in order: chronological & release order

Here is an incomplete (and deeply subjective) list of some influential or notable works of time travel fiction:

Books about time travel:

A sketch from the Christmas Carol shows a cloaked figure on the left and a person kneeling and clutching their head with their hands.

Rip Van Winkle (Cornelius S. Van Winkle, 1819) by Washington Irving
A Christmas Carol (Chapman & Hall, 1843) by Charles Dickens
The Time Machine (William Heinemann, 1895) by H. G. Wells
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Charles L. Webster and Co., 1889) by Mark Twain
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Pan Books, 1980) by Douglas Adams
A Tale of Time City (Methuen, 1987) by Diana Wynn Jones
The Outlander series (Delacorte Press, 1991-present) by Diana Gabaldon
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Bloomsbury/Scholastic, 1999) by J. K. Rowling
Thief of Time (Doubleday, 2001) by Terry Pratchett
The Time Traveler's Wife (MacAdam/Cage, 2003) by Audrey Niffenegger
All You Need is Kill (Shueisha, 2004) by Hiroshi Sakurazaka

Movies about time travel:

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Superman (1978)
Time Bandits (1981)
The Terminator (1984)
Back to the Future series (1985, 1989, 1990)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
13 Going on 30 (2004)
The Lake House (2006)
Meet the Robinsons (2007)
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Looper (2012)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Interstellar (2014)
Doctor Strange (2016)
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Tenet (2020)
Palm Springs (2020)
Zach Snyder's Justice League (2021)
The Tomorrow War (2021)

Television about time travel:

Image of the Star Trek spaceship USS Enterprise

Doctor Who (1963-present)
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) (multiple episodes)
Star Trek (multiple series, multiple episodes)
Samurai Jack (2001-2004)
Lost (2004-2010)
Phil of the Future (2004-2006)
Steins;Gate (2011)
Outlander (2014-2023)
Loki (2021-present)

Games about time travel:

Chrono Trigger (1995)
TimeSplitters (2000-2005)
Kingdom Hearts (2002-2019)
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (2003)
God of War II (2007)
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time (2009)
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (2013)
Dishonored 2 (2016)
Titanfall 2 (2016)
Outer Wilds (2019)

Additional resources

Explore physicist Peter Millington's thoughts about Stephen Hawking's time travel theories at The Conversation . Check out a kid-friendly explanation of real-world time travel from NASA's Space Place . For an overview of time travel in fiction and the collective consciousness, read " Time Travel: A History " (Pantheon, 2016) by James Gleik.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

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Ailsa is a staff writer for How It Works magazine, where she writes science, technology, space, history and environment features. Based in the U.K., she graduated from the University of Stirling with a BA (Hons) journalism degree. Previously, Ailsa has written for Cardiff Times magazine, Psychology Now and numerous science bookazines.

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Lost in Space (1965 TV series)

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This article is about the original Lost in Space . For for the series currently airing on Netflix, see here and for other uses here .

Lost in Space is an American science fiction family franchise centered around a television series filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, broadcast on CBS and created and produced by Irwin Allen , who referred to it as “science-fact science fiction”. The Classic Series, which consisted of 83 episodes across 3 seasons between September 15th, 1965, and March 6th, 1968, chronicled the challenges and adventures of a pioneering family. The Robinsons, who struggle to survive in space after their spaceship, the Jupiter 2 , is sabotaged and thrown off course in a loose remake of “The Swiss Family Robinson”. This cult classic, pop culture icon suitable for all ages spawned a variety of spinoffs and continuations, including a comic book series , an animated special , a novel and a feature film , with it' own spinoff novels and comics. A new rebooted version premiered in 2018 on Netflix . However, despite its successors and remakes of varying success, the original version still maintains a large and devoted following of fans.

Though the original television series concept centered on the Robinson family, many later story lines focused primarily on Dr. Zachary Smith , played by Jonathan Harris . Originally written as an utterly evil but extremely competent would-be saboteur, Smith gradually becomes the troublesome, self-centered, incompetent foil who provides the comic relief for the show and causes most of the episodic conflict and misadventures. Smith was not in the unaired pilot [No Place to Hide] and neither was the robot . A meteor storm in the unaired pilot [No Place to Hide] put them off course.

In the AIRED pilot, Smith's sabotage and unintended presence caused them to go off course so that they encountered the meteors. This, plus Smith's reprograming of the Robot to destroy the ship causes them to become lost. In the unaired version, they were going at such a relatively slow speed that they wondered if they were on Mars, while in the first aired episode , after just seconds of hyper-drive , they were lost, unknown light years from Earth . As the series went on, the characters, technology, and situations evolved, attaining a more fantastical quality, for better or worse. Remakes of Lost in Space have attempted to bring the concept back to its serious sci-fi roots, rather than the sillier, colorful fantasies that the original transformed into. But for many, the first incarnation, despite its flaws, remains the most beloved to this day.

1 Production
3 Characters
5 Technology and equipment
6 Series history
7 Ratings, Awards (nominations) and popularity
8 Cancellation
10 Legal questions
11 Guest stars
12 Syndication
14 Lost In Space Forever
15 Lost in Space (film)
17 Second television series— The Robinsons: Lost in Space
18 DVD and Blu Ray releases
19 See also
20 References

Production [ ]

The first appearance of a space-faring Robinson family was in a comic book published by Gold Key Comics in December 1962, The Space Family Robinson , who traveled about also lost in space aboard Space Station 1 . The television show came three years later, and during its run CBS and 20th Century Fox reached an agreement with Gold Key Comics that allowed the usage of the name 'Robinson' for the show. After that, the television series went ahead with stories separate from the comic book series. The television series is an adaptation of the Johann David Wyss novel The Swiss Family Robinson , though with a very different story. Series creator, Irwin Allen, in fact, originally did not conceive the series as being set in space, but rather simply wanted to a live-action version of The Swiss Family Robinson . As the space program was a big deal in the 1960s, the network asked Irwin Allen to rethink his ideas and make the show about a family of astronauts. [1]

The astronaut family of Dr. John Robinson, (the "first family in space" ) accompanied by United States Space Corps pilot and The Robot , set out from an overpopulated Earth in the spaceship Jupiter 2 to visit a planet circling the star Alpha Centauri with hopes of colonizing it. Their mission in 1997 (the official launch date of the Jupiter 2 was October 16, 1997) is immediately sabotaged by Dr. Zachary Smith—apparently an agent for a foreign government—who slips aboard their spaceship and reprograms the robot to destroy the ship and crew. Smith is trapped aboard, saving himself by prematurely reviving the crew from suspended animation. They save the ship, but consequent damage leaves them lost in space. Eventually, they crash on an alien world, later named by the Robinsons as Priplanus , where they spend the rest of the season and had to survive a host of adventures. After early stories of natural events and the struggle for survival, the series switched tones more than once. Smith functioned throughout the series as a source of comedic cowardice and villainy, exploiting the forgiving nature of the Robinsons. Smith was liked by the trusting Will Robinson, but he was disliked by both the Robot and the equally-suspicious Major Don West.

At the start of the second season, the repaired Jupiter 2 launches again after a series of severe quakes destroy Priplanus, but in the fourth episode, the Robinsons crash on another planet and spend the season there. This replicated the feel of the first season, although by this time the focus of the series was more on humor than straight action/adventure.

In the third season, a format change allowed the Robinson Family to travel to more planets. The Jupiter 2 would travel to other worlds in an attempt to return to Earth or to settle on their original destination, a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. The Space Pod was added as a means of transportation between the ship and planets. This season had a dramatically-different opening credits sequence and new theme music which, like the original, was composed by John Williams.

Following the format of Allen's first television series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea , fantasy-oriented adventure stories were emphasized with little emphasis on science or "hard" science fiction. Despite the 'fantasy' focus, however, the series managed to include quite a bit of serious science fiction, something that is often overlooked by critics who can't get past the inaccurate science and occasionally silly storylines. But at its heart, lost in space was neither sci fi nor fantasy, but a combination of the two. The show delivered a visual assault of special effects, explosions, monstrous aliens, spaceships, and during seasons two and three, exotic sets and costumes drenched in the bright, primary colors that were typical of early color television.

On October 16, 1997, 30 years into the future in 1967, the United States is about to launch of one of history's great adventures: man's colonization of deep space. The Jupiter 2, called Gemini 12 in the pilot episode, a futuristic saucer-shaped spaceship, stands on its launch pad undergoing final preparations. Its mission is to take a single family on a five-and-a-half-year journey—98 years in the pilot episode—to a planet of the nearby star Alpha Centauri. The pilot episode refers to the planet itself as Alpha Centauri, which space probes had revealed to possess ideal conditions for human life. The Robinson family was selected from among two million volunteers for this mission. The family includes Professor John Robinson, played by Guy Williams , his wife, Maureen, played by June Lockhart , their children, Judy ( Marta Kristen ), Penny ( Angela Cartwright ), and Will ( Billy Mumy) . They are accompanied by their pilot, U.S. Space Corps Major Donald West ( Mark Goddard ), who is trained to fly the ship. Otherwise, the Robinsons and West will be in freezing tubes for the voyage, with the tubes opening when the spacecraft approached its destination. Unless there was a problem with the ship's navigation or guidance system during the voyage, West would only take the controls during the final approach to and landing on the destination planet while the Robinsons would presumably strap themselves into contour couches on the lower deck for the landing.

Other nations were also racing to colonize space, and they would stop at nothing, not even sabotage, to thwart the United States' effort. Dr. Zachary Smith ( Jonathan Harris ), a psychologist and environmental control expert, is also a foreign secret agent. (Exactly who he is working for is unclear in the original series, though an explanation is provided in the Innovation Comics ) He reprograms the Jupiter 2's B-9 environmental control robot, voiced by Dick Tufeld , to destroy critical systems on the spaceship eight hours after launch. Smith is trapped aboard at launch and his extra weight throws the Jupiter 2 off course, causing it to encounter a meteor storm. This plus the robot's rampage causes the ship to become lost. Following an adventure on an alien spaceship, they crash on a strange planet where they spend the remainder of season one. Early stories featured the family struggling to survive, but soon after most of the Robinson's problems were caused by off-planet visitors and Smith. In the second season the series took on a more fanciful tone, with comedic elements becoming more pronounced. The third season combined both formats, but with a greater emphasis on adventure stories.Each season had a different visual style- including altered costumes and sets. Episodes cover many different genres, and there was little inter episode continuity after the first season- which was somewhat serialized.

The Robinsons were often placed in danger by Smith, whose self-centered actions and laziness endangered the family. In the second and third seasons, Smith's role assumes a less evil undertone—although he continues to display many character defects. In " The Time Merchant ", Smith travels back in time to the day of the Jupiter 2 launch, with hope of changing his fate. He learns that without his weight altering the ship's course, it would be destroyed by an uncharted asteroid. In an act of redemption, Smith elects to re-board the ship, thus saving Major West and the Robinsons' lives. Other moral principles were frequently featured. Spinoffs of the series often have very different tones, including the more plot driven novel. The movie explored family dynamics, but was less intellectual than most of the series in its morals beyond the family. All versions of Lost in Space involve a spaceship containing a familythath becomes lost- except for the animated version, which basically removed the family dynamic.

Characters [ ]

Dr. John Robinson ( Guy Williams ): The expedition commander, a pilot, the husband of Maureen Robinson , and the father of the Robinson children. He is an astrophysicist who also specializes in applied planetary geology.
Dr. Maureen Robinson ( June Lockhart ): John Robinson's biochemist wife. Her role in the series is often to prepare meals, tend the garden, and help with light construction while adding a voice of compassion. Her status as a doctor is mentioned only in the first episode and in the second season episode " The Astral Traveler ".
Major Don West ( Mark Goddard ): The military pilot of the Jupiter 2 . He is Dr. Smith 's intemperate and intolerant adversary. His mutual romantic interest with Judy Robinson was not developed beyond the first few episodes. In the un-aired pilot, "Doctor Donald West" was a graduate student astrophysicist and an expert in interplanetary geology, rather than a military man.
Judy Robinson ( Marta Kristen ): The oldest child of the Robinsons. She is about 19 years old at the outset of the series. She planned a career in musical theater but went with her family instead.
Penny Robinson ( Angela Cartwright ): The middle child. A 13-year-old in the first season, she loves animals and classical music. Early in the series, she acquires a chimpanzee-like alien pet with pointy ears that made one sound, "Bloop". While it is sometimes remembered by that name, "the Bloop," Penny named the creature Debbie. Most of Penny's adventures have a fairy tale-like quality, underscoring her innocence. She is described in the pilot, " No Place to Hide ", as having an IQ of 147 and an interest in zoology.
Will Robinson ( Billy Mumy ): The youngest child. A precocious 9-year-old in the first season, he is a child prodigy in geography, electronics and computer technology. Often, he is a friend to Smith when no one else is. Will is also the member of the family closest to the Robot.
Dr. Zachary Smith ( Jonathan Harris ): A Doctor of Intergalactic Environmental Psychology, is mentioned in the third season episode, " Kidnapped in Space " as an expert in cybernetics, and an enemy agent (roles that are rarely mentioned after the initial episodes). In the first episode, he is shown in uniform with a colonel's rank and eagle insignia, but is almost invariably addressed by his academic, rather than his military, rank. His attempt to sabotage the mission strands him aboard the Jupiter 2 and results in it becoming lost. By the end of the first season, the character becomes permanently established as a bungling, self-serving, greedy and manipulative coward. These character traits are magnified in subsequent seasons. His haughty bearing and ever-present alliterative repartee were staples of the character. While he and Major West repeatedly clashed over his goldbricking or because of some villainy he had perpetrated, the Robot was usually the preferred victim of his barbed and acerbic wit. Despite Harris being credited as a "Special Guest Star" for every episode, Smith is the pivotal character of the series. Harris was the last actor cast, with the others having been in the pilot episode. He was informed that he would "have to be in last position" in the credits. Harris voiced discomfort at this, and suggested appearing in the last position as "Special Guest Star." After having "screamed and howled," Allen agreed. Harris found his character very boring; encouraged by Allen, the actor "began rewriting his lines and redefining his character" by playing Smith in an attention-getting, flamboyant style. Mumy recalls how, after he had learned his own lines, Harris would ask to rehearse with him using his own dialogue. "He truly, truly single-handedly created the character of Dr. Zachary Smith that we know," said Mumy. "This man we love-to-hate, a sniveling coward who would cower behind the little boy, 'Oh, the pain! Save me, William!' That's all him!"
The Robot : The Robot is a Class M-3 Model B9, General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot, which had no given name. Although a machine endowed with superhuman strength and futuristic weaponry, he often displayed human characteristics, such as laughter, sadness, and mockery, as well as singing and playing a guitar. The Robot was performed by Bob May in a prop costume built by Bob Stewart. The voice was dubbed by Dick Tufeld , who was also the series' narrator. The Robot was designed by Robert Kinoshita, who was also the designer of the iconic Robby the Robot for Forbidden Planet . Robby appears in LIS #20 "War of the Robots", and the first episode of season three; " Condemned of Space ".

Episodes [ ]

See Episode List

Technology and equipment [ ]

The crew had a variety of methods of transportation. First, their primary vehicle for space travel was the two-deck, nuclear powered Jupiter 2 flying saucer spacecraft. (In the original un-aired pilot, the ship was named Gemini 12 and consisted of a single deck.) On the lower level were the "atomic motors" (which use " deutronium " for fuel), living quarters, galley, laboratory, and the robot's compartment. On the upper level were the guidance control system and suspended animation "freezing tubes" necessary for non-relativistic interstellar travel. The two levels were connected by an electric glide tube elevator and a fixed ladder. The Jupiter 2 explicitly had artificial gravity. The spacecraft was also intended to serve as home to the Robinsons once it landed on the destination planet orbiting Alpha Centauri.

Second, the Pod , a small spacecraft first shown in the third and final season and modeled on the Apollo Lunar Module, was used to travel from its bay in the Jupiter 2 to destinations either on land or in space. The Pod apparently also had artificial gravity.

Third, the Chariot was an amphibious tracked vehicle the crew used when they were on a planet. Since most body panels were clear, including the roof and its dome-shaped gun hatch, the Chariot had retractable mylar curtains for privacy. Both a roof rack for luggage and roof mounted solar batteries were accessible by exterior fixed ladders on either side of the vehicle. The roof also had a swivel-mounted, interior controllable spotlight near each front corner. The Chariot had six bucket seats (three rows of two seats) for passengers. The interior featured a seismograph, a scanner with infrared capability, a radio transceiver, a public address system, and a rifle rack that held four laser rifles vertically against the inside of the left rear body panel.

Fourth and last, the then exciting new invention called a jet pack was used occasionally by Prof. Robinson or Major West. In the series, this was called the rocket-belt or flying-belt

One of the most vital pieces of equipment was their environmental control robot B-9. The Robot ran air and soil tests, was extremely strong, able to discharge strong electrostatic charges from his claws, could detect threats with his scanner, produce a defensive smoke screen, and detect smells (in " One of Our Dogs is Missing "). He could both speak and understand speech. He could produce exact duplicates of small objects like a pair of gloves. 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.

For self-defense, the crew of the Jupiter 2—including Will on occasion against his parents' wishes—had an arsenal of laser guns at their disposal, both rifles carried on straps and handguns carried openly in holsters. The first season's personal issue raygun was a film prop modified from a toy semi-automatic pistol made by Remco. Will carried a Swiss Army-style knife (in " The Raft "). The crew also employed a force field around the Jupiter 2 for protection while on alien planets.

For communication, the crew used small transceivers to communicate with each other when away from the ship. On one occasion, Will improvised several rockoons (balloon borne rockets) in an attempt to send an interstellar "message in a bottle" distress signal.

The Jupiter 2 had advanced technology that simplified or did away with mundane tasks. The "automatic laundry" took seconds to clean, iron, fold, and package clothes in clear plastic bags. Similarly the "dishwasher" would clean, wash, and dry dishes in just seconds. The ship had no light bulbs. Maureen said the lights were transistorized, perhaps meaning they were electroluminescent or light -mitting diodes. "Protein pills" (a complete nutritional emergency substitute for whole foods) were featured in " The Hungry Sea " (air date: Oct. 13, 1965) and " The Space Trader " (air date: March 9, 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: Oct. 13, 1965) and " Attack of the Monster Plants " (air date: Dec. 15, 1965). The crew's spacesuits were made with aluminum-coated fabric, like NASA's Mercury spacesuits, and had Velcro fasteners which NASA first used during the Apollo program (1961-1972).

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.

Series history [ ]

Allen produced a series pilot, "No Place to Hide ." After CBS accepted the series the characters Smith and the Robot were added. The ship was redesigned with a second deck and renamed the Jupiter 2 (it had been the Gemini 12 ). Because of budgetary constraints, a good part of the pilot episode was reworked into the early episodes in the series. CBS was offered Star Trek shortly after accepting Lost in Space , but it was turned down.

The Lost in Space television series was originally named Space Family Robinson . Allen was apparently unaware of the Gold Key comic of the same name and similar theme. His series was, as was the comic, a space version of Swiss Family Robinson, hence the title similarity. Gold Key Comics had the opportunity to sue Allen's production company and 20th Century Fox for copyright infringement, but as Allen was expected to license the rights for comic book adaptations of his various properties as he already had with the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea series, they decided to not sue, instead changing the title of the comic to Lost in Space to take advantage of the series' prominence.

The first season emphasized adventure. It chronicled the daily adventures that a pioneer family might well experience if marooned on an alien world. These included dealing with dangerous native plants and animals, and off-world visitors. In the first season, only the special effects shots were filmed in color, in anticipation of reusing shots in color seasons.

As the series progressed, there was a growing emphasis on Smith, Will, and the Robot at the expense of the other characters. Smith's change in character was not appreciated by the other actors. According to Billy Mumy, Mark Goddard and Guy Williams disliked the shift from serious science fiction.

The third season had more adventure with the Jupiter 2 now functional and hopping from planet-to-planet, but episodes like "The Great Vegetable Rebellion "—with actor Stanley Adams as Tybo , the talking carrot—still demonstrated humorous fantasy. Calling it "the most insipid and bizarre episode in television history", Marta Kristen recalls that Goddard complained that "seven years of Stanislavski" method acting had culminated in his talking to a carrot. Other episodes were whimsical and emphasized humor, including space hippies and a beauty pageant.

During the first two seasons, episodes concluded in a "live action freeze" [called a "Cliffhanger"]. anticipating the following week, with the ominous promise: "To Be Continued NEXT WEEK! SAME TIME SAME CHANNEL"

There was little ongoing plot continuity between episodes, except in larger goals; for example, to get enough fuel to leave the planet. For the third season, the episode would conclude, immediately followed with a vocal "teaser" from Dick Tufeld telling viewers to "Stay tuned for scenes from next week's exciting adventure!" which would highlight the next episode, followed by the closing credits.

After cancellation, the show was successful in reruns and in syndication for many years, most recently on FX, Sci-Fi Channel, and ALN. It is currently available on Hulu streaming video, and is seen Saturday nights on Me-TV.

Stylistically, the series was of high quality, featuring what was expected for space travel at the time; eye-catching silver, tapered space-suits, laser guns and spectacular props and sets.

Ratings, Awards (nominations) and popularity [ ]

Although it retains a following, the science-fiction community often points to Lost in Space as an example of early television's perceived poor record at producing science-fiction. The series' deliberate fantasy elements, a trademark of Irwin Allen productions, were perhaps overlooked as it drew comparisons to its supposed rival, Star Trek . However, Lost in Space was a mild ratings success, unlike Star Trek , which received very poor ratings during its original network television run. The more "cerebral" Star Trek never averaged higher than 52nd in the ratings during its three seasons, while Lost in Space finished the 1965-1966 season with a ranking of 32nd place, and the 1966-1967 season in 35th place. (Those rankings were reported in the August 1967 issue of Television magazine. The show's ranking for the 1967-1968 season has yet to be confirmed or verified by a reliable source.)

Lost in Space also ranked third as one of the top five favorite new shows for the 1965-1966 season in a viewer TVQ poll (the others were The Big Valley , Get Smart , I Dream of Jeannie and F Troop ).

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenbery insisted that the two shows could not be compared. He was more of a philosopher, while understanding that Irwin Allen was a storyteller. When asked about Lost in Space , Roddenberry acknowledged: "That show accomplishes what it sets out to do. Star Trek is not the same thing". Roddenberry pitched Trek to CBS, reportedly spending time explaining why the show would go to Earth-type planets, which would mean you could use conventional (aka cheap) alien costumes and make-up. Of course, CBS listened, took notes, said no thanks to Trek and produced Lost in Space . Today, Star Trek fans often look down on the show- remembering only the silly aspects and not the actual concept. Other sci-fi fans sometimes have similar opinions. However, recently the show has been more accepted in the sci-fi community. In its own relatively large fandom, the show is appreciated immensly. Such phrases as " Danger Will Robinson" are also well known in the general public

Lost in Space received a 1966 Emmy award nomination for 'Cinematography—Special photographic effects,' but did not win, and again in 1968 for 'Achievement in visual arts and make-up," but again did not win. In 2005 LIS was nominated for a Saturn Award 'Best DVD Retro Television Release,' but did not win. In 2008 TVLand nominated and awarded the series for 'Awesomest Robot.'

Lost in Space is remembered, at least, from oft-repeated lines of the Robot, such as "Warning! Warning!", "That does not compute," and "Danger, Will Robinson!" Smith's frequent put-downs of the Robot are also still popular ("You bubble-headed booby!") as are his trademark lines: "Oh, the pain... the pain!" and "Never fear, Smith is here!" One of Jonathan Harris's last roles was providing the voice of the illusionist praying mantis "Manny" in Disney's A Bug's Life , where Harris used "Oh, the pain... the pain!" near the end of the film. Lost in Space was the favorite show of John F. Kennedy, Jr. while growing up in the 1960's.

Cancellation [ ]

In early January of 1968, while the final third season episode " Junkyard in Space " was in production, the cast and crew were informally made to believe the series would return for a fourth season. But the shows' ratings, which had already begun sagging during the third season, dipped even lower beginning in January of 1968, and the show was no longer reaching the crucial "average audience share" of 30%. Trade publications and syndicated TV columnists reported the show was at risk of cancellation in late January, and CBS officially announced the cancellation on February 19, 1968.

An article published in the June 15 '68 issue of TV Guide, "Why Shows Are Canceled" by Richard K. Doan, stated "Sometimes series will pull respectable ratings for several seasons, then just 'run out of steam,' as the programmers put it. That was what happened this season with Lost in Space, I Spy and Run for Your Life."

An album cover of Lost in Space: Original Television Soundtrack, Volume 1 CD, with music by John Williams, has been released. The theme music for the opening and closing credits was written by John Williams, the composer behind the Star Wars theme music who was listed in the credits as Johnny Williams.

The original pilot and much of season one reused Bernard Herrmann's eerie score from the classic sci-fi film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

For season three, the opening theme was revised (again by Williams) to a more exciting and faster tempo score, accompanied by live action shots of the cast, featuring a pumped-up countdown from seven to one to launch each week's episode. Seasons one and two had animated figures "life-roped" together drifting "hopelessly lost in space" and set to a dizzy and comical score.

Much of the incidental music in the series was written by Williams (who scored four episodes) and other notable film and television composers including Alexander Courage (composer of the Star Trek theme), who contributed six scores to the series. His most recognizable (" Wild Adventure ") included his key theme for "Lorelei" composed for organ, woodwinds, and harp–thus cementing this highly recognizable theme with Williams' own "Chariot" and main theme for the series.

A series of soundtrack CDs were released containing only background and incidental music from the original television series.

Legal questions [ ]

In 1962, Gold Key comics (formerly Dell Comics), a division of Western Publishing Company, began publishing a series of comic books under the title Space Family Robinson . The story was largely inspired by The Swiss Family Robinson but with a space-age twist. The movie and television rights to the comic book were then purchased by noted television writer Hilda Bohem ( The Cisco Kid ) who created a treatment under the title Space Family 3000 .

In July 1964, science fiction writer and filmmaker Ib Melchior began pitching a treatment for a feature film, also under the title Space Family Robinson . There is debate as to whether or not Allen was aware of the Melchior treatment. It is also unknown whether Allen was aware of the comic book or the Hilda Bohem treatment.

As copyright law only protects the actual expression of a work, and not titles, general ideas or concepts, in 1964, Allen moved forward with his own take on Space Family Robinson , with characters and situations notably different from either the Bohem or the Melchior treatments. It is interesting to note that none of these versions contained the characters of Smith or the Robot, but then neither did the original Allen pilot.

Intended as a follow up to his first successful television venture, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea , Allen quickly sold his concept for a television series to CBS. Concerned about confusion with the Gold Key comic book, CBS requested that Allen come up with a new title. Nevertheless, Hilda Bohem filed a claim against Allen and CBS Television shortly before the series premiered in 1965. A compromise was made as part of a legal settlement. In addition to an undisclosed sum of money, Western Publishing would be allowed to change the name of its comic book to Lost in Space .

There were no other legal challenges to the title until 1995, when New Line Cinema announced their intention to turn Lost in Space into a big budget motion picture. New Line had purchased the screen rights from Prelude Pictures (which had acquired the screen rights from the Irwin Allen Estate in 1993). At that time, Melchior contacted Prelude Pictures and insisted that Lost in Space was directly based upon his 1964 treatment. Melchior was aided in his efforts by Ed Shifres, a fan who had written a book entitled Space Family Robinson: The True Story (later reprinted with the title Lost in Space: The True Story ). The book attempts to show how Allen allegedly plagiarized Melchior's concept, with two outlines presented side-by-side.

To satisfy Melchior, Prelude Pictures hired the 78-year-old filmmaker as a consultant on their feature film adaptation. This accommodation was made without the knowledge or consent of the Irwin Allen Estate or Space Productions, the original copyright holder of Lost in Space . Melchior's contract with Prelude also guaranteed him 2% of the producer's gross receipts, a provision that was later the subject of a suit between Melchior and Mark Koch of Prelude Pictures. Although an Appellate Court ruled partly in Melchior's favor on November 17, 2004, the Supreme Court of California denied a petition by Melchior to further review the case. It is significant that no further claim was made and that Space Productions now contends that Allen was the sole creator of the television series Lost in Space .

Guest stars [ ]

During its three season run, many actors made guest appearances, including familiar actors and/or actors who went on to become well-known. Among those appearing in Lost in Space episodes were Joe E. Tata, Kevin Hagen, Alan Hewitt, Warren Oates, Don Matheson, Kurt Russell, Ford Rainey, Wally Cox, Grant Sullivan, Norman Leavitt, Tommy Farrell, Mercedes McCambridge, Lyle Waggoner, Albert Salmi, Royal Dano, Strother Martin, Michael J. Pollard, Byron Morrow, Arte Johnson, Fritz Feld, John Carradine, Al Lewis, Hans Conried, Dennis Patrick, Ted Cassidy, and Michael Rennie, among many others. Future Hill Street Blues stars, Daniel J. Travanti (billed as "Danny Travanty") and Michael Conrad, made guest appearances in separate episodes. While Mark Goddard was playing Major West, he had a guest appearance as well. Jonathan Harris, although a permanent cast member, was listed in the opening credits as "Special Guest Star" of every episode of Lost in Space .

Syndication [ ]

Despite the fact that it never reached the magic number of 100 episodes desired for daily stripping in syndication, Lost in Space was nonetheless picked up for such syndication in most major U.S. markets. By 1969, the show was declared to be the #1 syndicated program (or close to it) in markets such as Houston, Milwaukee, Miami and even New York City, where it was said that the only competition to Lost in Space was I Love Lucy . But the program didn't have the staying power through the 1970s of its supposed rival, Star Trek . Part of the blame was placed on the first season of Lost in Space being in black-and-white, while a majority of American households now had at least one color television receiver. By 1975, many markets began removing Lost in Space from daily schedules or moving it to less desirable time slots. But the series experienced a revival when Ted Turner acquired it for his growing TBS superstation in 1979. Viewer response was highly positive, and it became a TBS mainstay for the next five years.

Bill Mumy scripted an authorized Lost in Space comic book for Innovation Comics. The company continued the series for some time, at one point focusing on a time many years after the end of series, the children having long since grown up. The theme of an adult Will Robinson was also explored in the film and in the song "Ballad of Will Robinson"—written and recorded by Mumy.

Prior to the appearance of the television series, the comic book Space Family Robinson was published by Gold Key Comics, written by Gaylord Du Bois and illustrated by Dan Spiegle. Du Bois did not create the series, but he became the sole writer of the series once he began chronicling the Robinsons' adventures with "Peril on Planet Four" in issue #8, and he had already written the Captain Venture second feature beginning with "Situation Survival" in issue #6). Due to a deal worked out with Gold Key, the title of the comic later incorporated Lost in Space as asub-title. The comic book is not a spinoff of the television series, but was in print prior to the conception of the show, with different characters and a unique H-shaped spacecraft rather than the saucer -haped Jupiter 2.

There was also an unlicensed comic in which Will Robinson meets up with Friday the 13th character Jason Voorhees. Several Japanese comics were also produced.

In the 1972–1973 television season, ABC produced The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie , a weekly collection of 60-minute animated movies, pilots and specials from various production companies, such as Hanna-Barbera, Filmation, and Rankin-Bass. Hanna-Barbera Productions contributed animated work based on such television characters as Gidget , Yogi Bear , Tabitha , Oliver Twist , Nanny and the Professor , The Banana Splits , and Lost in Space . Dr. Smith (voiced by Jonathan Harris) was the only character from the original program to appear in the special, along with the Robot (who was named Robon and employed in flight control rather than in support activity). The spacecraft was launched vertically by rocket, and Smith was a passenger rather than a saboteur. The pilot for the animated Lost in Space series was not picked up as a series, and only this episode was produced.

Lost In Space Forever [ ]

In 1998 a television special called Lost in Space Forever featured Bill Mumy as a grown-up Will and Harris as Smith. Though most of this special is a documentary about the show, the last five minutes is a reunion with Smith, Will and the Robot. This final segment brings the series to a close with the three realizing they are "Lost in Space... forever!"

Lost in Space (film) [ ]

1998 Movie Version

After the series was cancelled, numerous attempts were made to create a film version. Bill Mumy pitched the idea of a reunion movie, but Irwin Allen refused to read the script, fearing that Bill might sue him if he ever decided to makea movie concluding the Robinson's adventures. In 2015, Bill's script was rewritten and filmed as a table read with the original cast. A reboot movie was produced in 1998 by New Line Cinema. the Lost in Space feature film followed the original storyline closely, but severely reimagined. Once they become lost, the story veers off in a different direction It starred William Hurt as Prof. John Robinson, Mimi Rogers as Dr. Maureen Robinson, Heather Graham as Dr. Judy Robinson, Lacey Chabert as Penny Robinson, Jack Johnson as Will Robinson, Gary Oldman as Dr. Zachary Smith/Spider Smith, Matt LeBlanc as Major Don West, and Jared Harris as the older Will Robinson.

The film included numerous nods, homages and cameos related to the series, including:

Dick Tufeld as the Robot's voice;
Mark Goddard playing the General who gives Major West his orders for the mission;
June Lockhart playing the principal of Will Robinson's school;
Angela Cartwright and Marta Kristen appearing as reporters;
A CG animated alien primate character, in homage to the original Debbie "the Bloop" space-ape pet;
The film's Jupiter 2 being launched into orbit by a vehicle called the Jupiter 1, which closely mimics the series' spacecraft, complete with rotating propulsion lights;
Reference being made to the chariot and space pod , both of which are reported wrecked.

Additional cameo appearances from the original series were considered, but did not make it to the film: Harris was offered a cameo appearance as the Global Sedition businessman who hires, then betrays, Smith. He turned down the role, which eventually went to Edward Fox, and is even reported to have said "I play Smith or I don't play." Harris appeared on an episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien , mentioning that he was offered a role: "Yes, they offered me a part in the new movie—six lines!"

It has been suggested that Bill Mumy was offered a key role in the film, that of an adult Will Robinson who appears in the "Spider Smith" sequences, but due to a scheduling conflict, Jared Harris was cast instead. In the DVD's special features section, the producer comments that Mumy was only briefly considered, but then discarded. Viewers, it was felt, would say, "There's Bill Mumy" and not see the "Will Robinson" character. As Mumy's primary adult role had been as Lennier on the popular Babylon 5 television series, which was still running at the time, this would indeed have been a consideration. Following the movie's release, several spinoff novels and a spinoff comic were created- set in the movie universe. A sequel film was planned, involving the Robinson's reaching their destination-but was latet abandoned

A reunion special was considered after the failure of the 1998 movie- this time featuring the original characters- but all plans were scrapped with the death of Jonathan Harris

In 1967 a novel based on the series with significant changes to the personalities of the characters and a redesign of the Jupiter 2 was published by Pyramid Books. Written by Dave Van Arnam and Ted White (as Ron Archer), the book was three short stories woven together. In one scene, where a character is randomly speaking English to provide data for translation, the book correctly predicted Richard Nixon winning the presidency after Lyndon Johnson (but also predicted a Kennedy winning after Nixon).

Several novels based on the movie adaption were also produced- some of them young adult oriented.

Second television series— The Robinsons: Lost in Space [ ]

From left-right. Judy, Don, Maureen, John, Robot, Will, David (infant Penny, not pictured).

In late 2003 a new television series with a somewhat changed format was in development in the U.S. It was originally intended to be closer to the original pilot with no Smith, but including a robot. The pilot, entitled, The Robinsons: Lost in Space , was commissioned by the WB Television Network. It was directed by John Woo and produced by Synthesis Entertainment, Irwin Allen Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Regency Television.

The Jupiter 2 interstellar flying-saucer spacecraft of the original series was changed to a non-saucer planet-landing craft, deployed from a larger inter-stellar Jupiter Mother-Ship .

The pilot featured the characters of John Robinson and Maureen Robinson , but an elder son, David Robinson , was added, as well as Judy Robinson , an infant Penny Robinson , and ten-year-old Will Robinson . There was no Dr. Smith character, but the character of Don West was described as a "dangerous, lone wolf type". In this version John Robinson is a famous military leader who saved the earth from attacking aliens. Maureen is a medical doctor.

The cast included Brad Johnson as John Robinson, Jayne Brook as Maureen Robinson, Gil McKinney as David Robinson, Adrianne Palicki as Judy Robinson, Ryan Malgarini as Will Robinson, and Mike Erwin as Don West. It was not among the network's series pick-ups confirmed later that year. The producers of the new Battlestar Galactica show bought the show's sets. They were redesigned the next year and used for scenes on the Battlestar Pegasus. This was the last attempt at rebooting Lost in Space until 2014, when a new series was announced.

DVD and Blu Ray releases [ ]

20th Century Fox has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1. Several of the releases contain bonus features including interviews, episode promos, video stills and the original un-aired pilot episode. In 2015, a 50th anniversary Blu Ray set was produced, which included, among other things, a resolution to the series featuring the original cast reprising their roles.

References [ ]

↑ "Bill and Max: Lost and Found in Space" - Lost in Space Netflix Season 1 home video special feature
1 Robot (Netflix)
2 June Harris
3 Judy Robinson (Netflix)

Is Time Travel Possible?

We all travel in time! We travel one year in time between birthdays, for example. And we are all traveling in time at approximately the same speed: 1 second per second.

We typically experience time at one second per second. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's space telescopes also give us a way to look back in time. Telescopes help us see stars and galaxies that are very far away . It takes a long time for the light from faraway galaxies to reach us. So, when we look into the sky with a telescope, we are seeing what those stars and galaxies looked like a very long time ago.

However, when we think of the phrase "time travel," we are usually thinking of traveling faster than 1 second per second. That kind of time travel sounds like something you'd only see in movies or science fiction books. Could it be real? Science says yes!

Image of galaxies, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows galaxies that are very far away as they existed a very long time ago. Credit: NASA, ESA and R. Thompson (Univ. Arizona)

How do we know that time travel is possible?

More than 100 years ago, a famous scientist named Albert Einstein came up with an idea about how time works. He called it relativity. This theory says that time and space are linked together. Einstein also said our universe has a speed limit: nothing can travel faster than the speed of light (186,000 miles per second).

Einstein's theory of relativity says that space and time are linked together. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

What does this mean for time travel? Well, according to this theory, the faster you travel, the slower you experience time. Scientists have done some experiments to show that this is true.

For example, there was an experiment that used two clocks set to the exact same time. One clock stayed on Earth, while the other flew in an airplane (going in the same direction Earth rotates).

After the airplane flew around the world, scientists compared the two clocks. The clock on the fast-moving airplane was slightly behind the clock on the ground. So, the clock on the airplane was traveling slightly slower in time than 1 second per second.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Can we use time travel in everyday life?

We can't use a time machine to travel hundreds of years into the past or future. That kind of time travel only happens in books and movies. But the math of time travel does affect the things we use every day.

For example, we use GPS satellites to help us figure out how to get to new places. (Check out our video about how GPS satellites work .) NASA scientists also use a high-accuracy version of GPS to keep track of where satellites are in space. But did you know that GPS relies on time-travel calculations to help you get around town?

GPS satellites orbit around Earth very quickly at about 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) per hour. This slows down GPS satellite clocks by a small fraction of a second (similar to the airplane example above).

Illustration of GPS satellites orbiting around Earth

GPS satellites orbit around Earth at about 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) per hour. Credit: GPS.gov

However, the satellites are also orbiting Earth about 12,550 miles (20,200 km) above the surface. This actually speeds up GPS satellite clocks by a slighter larger fraction of a second.

Here's how: Einstein's theory also says that gravity curves space and time, causing the passage of time to slow down. High up where the satellites orbit, Earth's gravity is much weaker. This causes the clocks on GPS satellites to run faster than clocks on the ground.

The combined result is that the clocks on GPS satellites experience time at a rate slightly faster than 1 second per second. Luckily, scientists can use math to correct these differences in time.

Illustration of a hand holding a phone with a maps application active.

If scientists didn't correct the GPS clocks, there would be big problems. GPS satellites wouldn't be able to correctly calculate their position or yours. The errors would add up to a few miles each day, which is a big deal. GPS maps might think your home is nowhere near where it actually is!

In Summary:

Yes, time travel is indeed a real thing. But it's not quite what you've probably seen in the movies. Under certain conditions, it is possible to experience time passing at a different rate than 1 second per second. And there are important reasons why we need to understand this real-world form of time travel.

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By Manil Suri

8 December 2023

High resolution images presents creating planets of the solar system. This image elements furnished by NASA.

Illustration of the creation of planets of the solar system

The following is an extract from our Lost in Space-Time newsletter. Each month, we hand over the keyboard to a physicist or two to tell you about fascinating ideas from their corner of the universe. You can sign up for Lost in Space-Time for free here .

Space-time is a curious thing. Look around and it’s easy enough to visualise what the space component is in the abstract. It’s three dimensions: left-right, forwards-backwards and up-down. It’s a graph with an…

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The Only Major Actors Still Alive From The Lost In Space TV Series

T he 1960s were a golden age for great sci-fi TV shows . Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" entered the decade following a landmark first season, just as television was experiencing a cultural peak in the U.S. A few years later, groundbreaking series like "Star Trek" and "Doctor Who" set the standard for what an epic sci-fi series could look like, establishing longstanding models for alien makeup, set and costume design, and storytelling. Because so many of these '60s franchises have retained a major pop culture footprint, some other classics of the era often get forgotten. That includes the CBS hit "Lost in Space," which ran for three seasons from 1965 to 1968.

A sci-fi adaptation of "The Swiss Family Robinson," "Lost in Space" follows a family of explorers and scientists who lead an experimental expedition to Alpha Centauri and get -- well, you know the title. "Lost in Space" did well in its first season, though declining ratings and escalating costs eventually led to its cancellation after three years. In the decades since, several remakes and reboots have materialized, most notably the 1998 movie starring William Hurt and Mimi Rogers and the 2018 Netflix "Lost in Space" series .

There is a unique, campy, retro charm to the original show, however, which no subsequent adaptations have quite recreated. Sadly, many of the actors who helped bring "Lost in Space" to life have passed away, but a few are still with us. These are the only leading actors still alive from the cast of "Lost in Space."

Read more: Actors You May Not Know Are Dead

As the youngest member of the original "Lost in Space" cast, it shouldn't be surprising that Bill Mumy is still alive, well, and quite active today. Though Mumy had a number of prominent TV guest roles in the early '60s before being cast in "Lost in Space" -- appearing in the likes of "The Twilight Zone," "Perry Mason," and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" -- his role as the young savant Will Robinson is what really put him on the map.

These days, Will Robinson's misadventures with the iconic robot of "Lost in Space" are perhaps the show's most enduring legacy, marked by the famous and oft-repeated line, "Danger, Will Robinson!" It's fitting, then, that Mumy has stayed with the science fiction genre throughout his adult life, both as an actor and writer. Mumy's most notable role outside of "Lost in Space" is probably that of Lennier in the beloved 1990s sci-fi series "Babylon 5." He played the character in over 100 episodes between 1994 and 1998, even reprising the role in the 2023 animated film "Babylon 5: The Road Home." He also had a cameo in the 2018 Netflix "Lost in Space" remake as Dr. Zachary Smith.

Having turned 70 in 2024, Mumy is still a major player on television. He's become a prominent voice actor, lending his talents to animated series like "Bravest Warriors," "Transformers: Rescue Bots," and "The Loud House." He's also written two books about his time on "Lost in Space," co-authored by his former co-star and on-screen sister Angela Cartwright, and he's been a professional musician for many years.

Angela Cartwright

Like Bill Mumy, Angela Cartwright was quite young when she was cast in "Lost in Space," but she was already a known quantity in Hollywood. Her prior TV credits included "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and "Shirley Temple's Storybook." However, her biggest role by far was that of Brigitta von Trapp in the 1965 film classic "The Sound of Music."

In "Lost in Space," Cartwright played middle sibling Penny Robinson, an adventurous girl prone to alien encounters. She had successive cameos in the 1998 "Lost in Space" movie and the 2018 Netflix series. After the end of the original series, Cartwright continued to appear in both movies and TV shows, with credits including "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure," "High School U.S.A.," "Logan's Run," "Adam-12," and "Airwolf." With the exception of a few cameos, she stopped acting in the mid-1980s, but she's continued to work as an artist in the decades since via another creative field: photography.

At 71 years old, Cartwright is a veteran photographer whose work has graced studios, books, and journals. She's also a writer, having penned books with Bill Mumy about "Lost in Space." The duo has even written a novel together -- 2018's "On Purpose," published by Other Realms Press.

Marta Kristen

Marta Kristen's Judy Robinson is the eldest of the three Robinson children on "Lost in Space," but her role in the show is markedly different from her younger brother and sister. Where Will and Penny are prepubescent kids who run around and fall into various misadventures, Judy is a young adult and has more in common with her parents than with her siblings. Playing that kind of middle role in a family show can be tricky, but Kristen pulled it off well.

The 1960s were a busy decade for Kristen, who popped up in everything from "Leave It To Beaver" and "My Three Sons" to "Mr. Novak" and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." "Lost in Space" gave Kristen her first long-term starring role. After the show's cancellation, she continued to be a prominent actor through the '70s and '80s. Her film credits include "Terminal Island" and "Battle Beyond the Stars," and she appeared in various shows such as "Remington Steele," "Murphy Brown," and the "M*A*S*H*" spin-off "Trapper John, M.D."

These days, Kristen isn't nearly as active, but she still works in the industry from time to time. Voice acting has become a bigger part of her career in the 21st century, but her roles in that field tend to be smaller projects -- shorts, non-theatrical films, and other lesser-known roles. Like many of her former co-stars, Kristen had a brief cameo in the 1998 "Lost in Space" movie.

June Lockhart

It shouldn't be shocking that the actors who played the three Robinson children on "Lost in Space" are all still active today, given their ages when the show was airing. However, the only older member of the main cast who's still alive is June Lockhart, a true Hollywood legend. Lockhart's role as Dr. Maureen Robinson is far from insignificant, but it's only a small piece of a massive career spanning film, television, and the live stage.

A two-time Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner, June Lockhart was already a bankable star by the time she was cast for "Lost in Space." She was coming off a similarly major TV role as Ruth Martin on "Lassie" -- a character she played for a staggering 200 episodes in the late '50s and early '60s. She was also an experienced film actor, with credits including 1938's "A Christmas Carol" and 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis." In the decades after "Lost in Space," Lockhart appeared in dozens of films and TV series, including "Strange Invaders," "Troll," and a stint on "General Hospital" in the 1990s.

At 98 years old, June Lockhart is still going strong. She had a small cameo role in the Netflix "Lost in Space" remake, and she's added film credits as recently as 2019. If her long list of roles and other accolades weren't enough, she has two different stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- one for television, and the other for film. It seems that one just wouldn't have been enough for her legacy.

Read the original article on Looper

Superman Enters an Outer Space Time Travel Mystery from Deathstroke's Creative Team

DC announces Superman: Lost, a new series from Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan which sees Clark Kent become tangled in a time travel mystery.

Superman /Clark Kent returns from space only to find himself stuck in a time travel mystery in a new series from Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan.

DC announced Superman: Lost, a new ten-issue series from Priest and Pagulayan. The series sees Superman entangled in a mystery involving time travel after he becomes trapped in space for two decades. The synopsis for Superman: Lost reads, "SUPERMAN’S ODYSSEY OF SOLITUDE! After Superman is called away on a routine Justice League mission, Lois Lane awakens to find a complete stranger standing in her living room. The Man of Steel, home much sooner than expected, reveals he has, in fact, been lost in space for 20 years. Nothing and no one seem familiar to him anymore, and the timeless bond between them has been severed...or has it? Can love conquer all? Superman’s 85th-anniversary celebration continues with this all new blockbuster 10-issue series from the creators of the Eisner-nominated Deathstroke series!"

RELATED: Superman Writer Reveals a Hidden Story Unfolding in Son of Kal-El

? Superman: Lost has been several years in the making and it’s been incredibly difficult for me to keep quiet about this," Priest said. "I am absolutely delighted to be reunited with my Deathstroke team as we explore the emotional toll a tragic loss exacts. A man of steel, from an alien species, is ultimately the most human among us. And finding his way home is only the beginning."

Superman Takes Over DC in 2023

Superman: Lost is one of several new series starring the Last Son of Krypton releasing in 2023. The publisher's Action Comics series will enter into a new era when Clark and his son, Jon Kent, have their secret identities restored in Action Comics #1050 (by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tom Taylor, Joshua Williamson, Mike Perkins, Clayton Henry and Nick Dragotta). In the following issue, DC will begin including three different stories within each issue of Action Comics .

Williamson is also teaming with Jamal Campbell for a new Superman ongoing series which launches in February 2023. "Superman has returned to Metropolis and his greatest enemy Lex Luthor is finally behind bars," DC previously said of the series. "The future of the Superman family has never been brighter! As Clark Kent settles back into his life, iconic and new enemies erupt from the shadows to strike down the Man of Steel!"

RELATED: Lex Luthor's Newest Target Is Superman's Son

Following the completion of Superman: Son of Kal-El , Jon Kent is additionally getting a brand-new miniseries, Adventures of Superman by Taylor and Henry. Launching in March 2023, Adventures of Superman will see the young hero have to face Ultraman, who previously imprisoned him for years on Earth-3. DC also announced Val-Zod, the Superman of Earth-2, will play a major role in the series.

Superman: Lost #1 is written by Priest, features art, cover art and variant cover art by Pagulayan and Jason Paz and additional variant cover art by Joe Quesada and Lee Weeks. The issue releases March 14, 2023, from DC.

Humans in Space

Earth & climate, the solar system, the universe, aeronautics, learning resources, news & events.

The top right corner of the image shows a nearly quarter-circle shaped piece of land, which is a brown-orange color. There are speckles of clouds covering the top right-most corner of the land. The rest of the image is taken up by ocean, showing the coast of the ocean where it meets the land. The ocean is split up into three segments, each colored differently, with the middle section the largest. The section to the left shows the ocean in true color. There are white wispy clouds covering parts of the ocean from top to bottom at the left-most side. The ocean itself is primarily a dark blue color, though at the top of the section, near the coastline, swirls of light blue, teal, and green begin to form – part of a phytoplankton bloom. The middle section of the image is shown in pink and green. The swirls of green are closer to the coastline, but spread outwards into the ocean, mixing in with the pink. The swirls of pink are farther away from the coast. The right section of the image is shown in several colors of the rainbow. Reds, yellows, and greens are closer to the shore while dark blues and purples are further out in the ocean.

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45 Years Ago: Space Shuttle Enterprise Arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

Johnson space center.

Enterprise, the first space shuttle orbiter that NASA built, arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on April 10, 1979. Although not space worthy, as a pathfinder Enterprise carried out tasks critical to ensuring the success of the space shuttle program. During its four-month stay at KSC, Enterprise validated procedures for the assembly of the space shuttle stack and interfaces at the launch pad. The tests proved valuable in preparing the shuttle for its first orbital mission. Earlier, Enterprise proved the flight worthiness of the shuttle during atmospheric tests and certified the vehicle’s structure to handle launch loads. Enterprise played small supporting roles in the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations. After a lengthy stay in storage, a fully restored Enterprise went on public display, first near Washington, D.C., and then in New York where it currently resides.

NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher, left, presents President Richard M. Nixon with a model of the space shuttle in January 1972

Enterprise’s story began on Jan. 5, 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon directed NASA to build the reusable space shuttle, formally called the Space Transportation System (STS), stating that “it would revolutionize transportation into near space.” NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher hailed the President’s decision as “an historic step in the nation’s space program,” adding that it would change what humans can accomplish in space. After Congress authorized the funds, on July 26 NASA awarded the contract to the North American Rockwell Corporation of Downey, California, to begin construction of the first vehicles. Manufacture of the first components of Orbital Vehicle-101 (OV-101) at Rockwell’s Downey plant began on June 4, 1974.

NASA Administrator James C. Fletcher, left, poses with several cast members and creator of the TV series “Star Trek” at Enterprise’s rollout

NASA originally chose the name Constitution for OV-101, the first space shuttle vehicle designed not to fly in space but for ground and atmospheric tests. However, a determined write-in campaign by fans of the science fiction TV series “ Star Trek ” convinced NASA to rename this first vehicle Enterprise, after the fictional starship made famous by the show. When the orbiter made its public rollout at Rockwell’s Palmdale, California, facility, on Sept. 17, 1976, it bore the name Enterprise. Several “Star Trek” cast members as well as the show’s creator attended the event, accompanied by NASA Administrator Fletcher and the four astronauts assigned to conduct the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) with Enterprise– Fred W. Haise , C. Gordon Fullerton , Joe H. Engle , and Richard H. Truly .

Workers tow space shuttle Enterprise through the streets of Lancaster, California, on the way to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base

In January 1977, workers trucked Enterprise 36 miles overland from Palmdale to NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California, for the ALT program, a series of increasingly complex flights to evaluate the shuttle’s air worthiness. At Dryden, workers placed Enterprise on the back of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), a modified Boeing 747. The duo began taxi runs in February, followed by the first captive inactive flight later that month. The first captive active flight with a crew aboard the orbiter took place in June, and Enterprise made its first independent flight on Aug. 12 with Haise and Fullerton at the controls. Four additional approach and landing flights completed the ALT program by October. In March 1978, Enterprise began its first cross-country trip . Riding atop the SCA, Enterprise left Edwards, and after a weekend stopover at Houston’s Ellington AFB, arrived at the Redstone Arsenal’s airfield in Huntsville, Alabama. Workers trucked Enterprise to the adjacent NASA Marshall Space Flight Center where engineers for the first time mated it with an External Tank (ET) and inert Solid Rocket Boosters (SRB) in the Dynamic Structural Test Facility. For the next year, engineers conducted a series of vibration tests on the combined vehicle, simulating conditions expected during an actual launch.

Following the year-long series of tests at Marshall, on April 10, 1979, NASA ferried Enterprise atop its SCA to KSC. Its sister ship Columbia , the first shuttle destined for orbital flight, had arrived there just two weeks earlier. The SCA/Enterprise vehicle remained on display at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) for five days to give more than 75,000 KSC employees, their families, and the general public a chance to view the new reusable spacecraft. Workers at the SLF then removed the orbiter from the back of the SCA in the Mate-Demate Device, and towed it into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where on April 25 they completed attaching it to an ET and inert SRBs on a Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) repurposed from carrying Saturn rockets. These activities enabled verification of towing, assembly, and checkout procedures.

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers in the Vehicle Assembly Building prepare to lift Enterprise

Rollout of Enterprise from the VAB to Launch Pad 39A occurred on May 1, and again KSC employees and their families came out to view the event. The assembled vehicle including the MLP weighed about 11 million pounds. Technicians drove the stack atop the Crawler Transporter at varying speeds to determine the optimum velocity to minimize vibration stress on the vehicle. The 3.5-mile rollout took about eight hours to complete. Once at the pad, engineers used Enterprise to conduct fit checks and to validate launch pad procedures. During the critical countdown demonstration test, workers filled the ET with super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The significant discovery that ice built up at the top of the ET during this process led to the addition of the gaseous oxygen vent hood (familiarly known as the “beanie cap”) to the launch pad facility and a procedure to retract it just a few minutes before liftoff. This prevented the dangerous buildup of ice during the countdown and ranks as perhaps one of Enterprise’s greatest contributions as a test vehicle during its time at the launch pad.

Enterprise exiting the Vehicle Assembly Building

On July 23, after three months of fit checks and testing, workers rolled Enterprise back from Launch Pad 39A to High Bay 1 in the VAB. The activities conducted at the pad proved instrumental in paving the way for its sister ship Columbia to make its first launch in 1981. John Bell, who managed the activities at JSC said of the test program, “Overall, it was a very successful venture and well worth it.” Launch Pad 39A Site Manager John J. “Tip” Talone added, “Having [Enterprise] out here really saved the program a lot of time in getting things ready for [Columbia].” In the VAB, workers removed Enterprise from its ET on July 25 and towed it to the SLF on Aug. 3 where it awaited the arrival of the SCA. The ferry flight back to Dryden took place between Aug. 10 and 16 making six stops along the way – Atlanta, St. Louis, Tulsa, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Vandenberg AFB in California. Up to 750,000 people came out to see the orbiter and SCA. Back at Dryden, workers demated Enterprise and on Oct. 30 trucked it back to the Palmdale plant where engineers removed computers and instruments to be refurbished and used in other orbiters then under construction. Previous plans to convert Enterprise into an orbital vehicle proved too costly and NASA abandoned the idea.

Astronaut support engineer Richard W. Nygren stands at Launch Pad 39A with astronauts Richard H. Truly, John W. Young, Robert L. Crippen, and Joe H. Engle, the prime and backup crews assigned to the first space shuttle mission

Because Enterprise’s future remained uncertain, NASA returned it to Edwards on Sep. 6, 1981, for long-term storage. On July 4, 1982, NASA used it as a backdrop for President Ronald W. Reagan to welcome home the STS-4 crew. The following year, NASA sent Enterprise on a European tour, departing Dryden on May 13, 1983, with stops in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France for the annual Paris Air Show. Enterprise made a stop in Ottawa, Canada, on its return trip to Dryden, arriving there June 13. Workers once again placed it in temporary storage.

Enterprise as the backdrop for President Reagan welcoming home the STS-4 crew at NASA’s Dryden, now Armstrong, Flight Research Center in July 1982

For its next public appearance, NASA ferried Enterprise to Mobile, Alabama, from there transported it by barge to New Orleans, and placed it on public display in the U.S. pavilion of the World’s Fair between April and November 1984. After the World’s Fair, NASA ferried Enterprise to Vandenberg AFB in California to conduct fit checks at the Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6), that NASA had planned to use for polar orbiting shuttle missions. NASA used Enterprise to conduct tests at SLC-6 similar to the 1979 tests at KSC’s Launch Complex 39. The tests at Vandenberg completed, NASA ferried Enterprise back to Dryden on May 24, 1985, but this time for only a very short-term storage.

Enterprise on display at the World’s Fair in New Orleans in 1984

On Sep. 20, 1985, NASA ferried Enterprise to KSC and placed it on temporary public display near the VAB, next to the Saturn V already displayed there. On Oct. 30, Enterprise “saw” its sister ship Challenger fly into space on the STS-61A mission. After two months on display at KSC, NASA flew Enterprise to Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., arriving on Nov. 18. NASA officially retired Enterprise and transferred ownership to the Smithsonian Institution that had plans to build a large aircraft museum annex at the airport. The Smithsonian placed Enterprise in storage in a hangar, awaiting the completion of its new home. That turned into an 18-year wait.

Launch of STS-61A in October 1985, with Enterprise and the Saturn V in the foreground

But even during that 18-year wait, NASA found practical use for the venerable Enterprise. In 1987, the agency studied how to handle an orbiter returning from space should it suffer a brake failure. To test the efficacy of an arresting barrier, workers slowly winched Enterprise into a landing barrier they had set up at Dulles to see if the vehicle suffered any damage. Later that same year, NASA used Enterprise to test various crew bailout procedures being developed in the wake of the Challenger accident . In 1990, experimenters used Enterprise’s cockpit windows to test mount an antenna for the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, with no other orbiters available. Periodically, engineers removed parts from Enterprise to test for materials durability, and also evaluated the structural integrity of the vehicle including its payload bay doors and found it to be in sound condition even after years in storage. In April 2003, in the wake of the Columbia accident , investigators borrowed Enterprise’s left landing gear door and part of the port wing for foam impact tests. The tests provided solid evidence for the foam strike as the cause of the accident.

Space shuttle Enterprise undergoes restoration at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Chantilly, Virginia. Note the missing wing leading edge, donated for the Columbia accident investigation

On Nov. 20, 2003, workers towed Enterprise from its storage facility into a newly completed display hangar at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum at Dulles in Chantilly, Virginia. Specialists spent eight months restoring the orbiter and the museum placed it on public display on Dec. 15, 2004.

Space shuttle orbiters Enterprise, left, and Discovery meet nose-to-nose at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia

In 2011, NASA retired the space shuttle fleet and donated the vehicles to various museums around the country. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City acquired Enterprise, and on Apr. 19, 2012, workers removed the orbiter from its display at the Hazy Center – replacing it with the orbiter Discovery – and placed it atop a SCA for the final time. Eight days later, after a short flight from Dulles and a flyaround of New York and several of its famous landmarks, Enterprise landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock in the original “Star Trek” television series, and attended Enterprise’s first rollout in 1976, greeted the orbiter on the runway. Workers lifted the orbiter from the SCA and placed it on a barge. It eventually arrived at the Intrepid Museum on June 3 and went on public display July 19. Enterprise suffered minor damage during Superstorm Sandy in October 2012, but workers fully restored it.

Enterprise in the Shuttle Pavilion at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City

Read recollections about the Enterprise ALT flight in oral histories that Haise , Fullerton , and Engle conducted with the JSC History Office .

Explore More

60 Years Ago: Gemini 1 Flies a Successful Uncrewed Test Flight

Watch CBS News

Solar eclipse maps show 2024 totality path, peak times and how much of the eclipse people could see across the U.S.

By Aliza Chasan

Updated on: April 9, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News

A total solar eclipse crossed North America Monday with parts of 15 U.S. states within the path of totality. Maps show where and when astronomy fans could see the big event as skies darkened in the middle of the day Monday, April 8.

The total eclipse first appeared along Mexico's Pacific Coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT, then traveled across a swath of the U.S., from Texas to Maine, and into Canada.

About 31.6 million people live in the path of totality , the area where the moon fully blocked out the sun , according to NASA. The path ranged between 108 and 122 miles wide. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.

Solar eclipse path of totality map for 2024

United states map showing the path of the 2024 solar eclipse and specific regions of what the eclipse duration will be.

The total solar eclipse started over the Pacific Ocean, and the first location in continental North America that experienced totality was Mexico's Pacific Coast, around 11:07 a.m. PDT, according to NASA. From there, the path continued into Texas, crossing more than a dozen states before the eclipse enters Canada in southern Ontario. The eclipse exited continental North America at around 5:16 p.m. NDT from Newfoundland, Canada.

The path of totality included portions of the following states:

Pennsylvania
New Hampshire

Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan also experienced the total solar eclipse.

Several major cities across the U.S. were included in the eclipse's path of totality, while many others saw a partial eclipse. These were some of the best major cities for eclipse viewing — though the weather was a factor :

San Antonio, Texas (partially under the path)
Austin, Texas
Waco, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Indianapolis, Indiana
Dayton, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Buffalo, New York
Rochester, New York
Syracuse, New York
Burlington, Vermont

Map of when the solar eclipse reached totality across its path

The eclipse began in the U.S. as a partial eclipse beginning at 12:06 p.m. CDT near Eagle Pass, Texas, before progressing to totality by about 1:27 p.m. CDT and then moving along its path to the northeast over the following few hours.

NASA shared times for several cities in the path of totality across the U.S. People could have also checked their ZIP code on NASA's map to see when the eclipse was to reach them if they were on, or near, the path of totality — or if they saw a partial eclipse instead.

How much of the eclipse did people see if they live outside the totality path?

While the April 8 eclipse covered a wide swath of the U.S., outside the path of totality observers may have spotted a partial eclipse, where the moon covers some, but not all, of the sun, according to NASA. The closer they were to the path of totality, the larger the portion of the sun that was hidden.

NASA allowed viewers to input a ZIP code and see how much of the sun was to be covered in their locations.

Could there be cloud cover be during the solar eclipse?

Some areas along the path of totality had a higher likelihood of cloud cover that could interfere with viewing the eclipse. Here is a map showing the historical trends in cloud cover this time of year.

You could have checked the latest forecast for your location with our partners at The Weather Channel .

United States map showing the percent of cloud cover in various regions of the eclipse path on April 8. The lakeshore region will be primarily affected.

Where did the solar eclipse reach totality for the longest?

Eclipse viewers near Torreón, Mexico, got to experience totality for the longest. Totality there lasted 4 minutes, 28 seconds, according to NASA.

Most places along the centerline of the path of totality saw a totality duration of between 3.5 and 4 minutes, according to NASA. Some places in the U.S. came close to the maximum; Kerrville, Texas, had a totality duration of 4 minutes, 24 seconds.

What is the path of totality for the 2044 solar eclipse?

The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the contiguous U.S. will be on Aug. 23, 2044.

Astronomy fans in the U.S. will have far fewer opportunities to see the 2044 eclipse they had on April 8. NASA has not yet made maps available for the 2044 eclipse but, according to The Planetary Society , the path of totality will only touch three states.

The 2024 eclipse will start in Greenland, pass over Canada and end as the sun sets in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to the Planetary Society.

Map showing the path of the 2044 total solar eclipse from Greenland, Canada and parts of the United States.

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBSNews.com. She has previously written for outlets including PIX11 News, The New York Daily News, Inside Edition and DNAinfo. Aliza covers trending news, often focusing on crime and politics.

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Money latest: My employer rejected my request for flexible work after maternity leave - what are my rights?

A new mother contacted us asking about her employment rights after maternity leave - and we've enlisted the help of a legal expert. Read this and all the latest consumer and personal finances news in the Money blog - and share your own Money Problem in the form below.

Monday 15 April 2024 09:17, UK

Spotlight on unpaid carers: 'I'm a prisoner' - mother faces having no money left for retirement after caring for son with cerebral palsy
Money Problem: My employer rejected my request for flexible work after maternity leave - what are my rights?
Financial markets take Middle East escalation in their stride

Essential reads

How to earn thousands letting film and music stars shoot in your home
Britons are buying homes, having babies, getting married and retiring later - but one key life event is happening earlier
How your neighbour's garden could wipe up to £57,000 from your house price
'WTF is going on with the price of olive oil?'
Cheap Eats: Great British Menu legend shares ultimate toastie recipe

Ask a question or make a comment

By James Sillars , business news reporter

You would think that an attack by Iran on Israel involving more than 300 drones and missiles would drive up oil prices.

While Saturday's strikes failed to land a damaging punch, they have stoked fears of a wider Middle East conflict.

But the financial markets have taken the escalation in their stride.

Oil traders priced in the possibility of such Iranian aggression on Friday, 24 hours beforehand.

As such, a barrel of Brent crude is actually 0.5% down at $90 a barrel.

Analysts say that the outlook depends very much on how Israel responds.

Stock market sentiment has taken a slight knock.

In London, the FTSE 100 followed Asia lower. It opened 0.2% down at 7,978.

Energy stocks were the main drag.

In wider UK stocks, car distributor Inchcape climbed 1.6% after it agreed a £346m deal to sell its UK dealership operations to car retailer Group 1 Automotive UK.

The Inchcape UK division consists of 81 sites, employing 3,600 people, and works with car manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Every Monday we put your financial dilemmas or consumer disputes to industry experts. You can find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post.

This week, Sky News reader AJ2024 asks...

"While on maternity leave my employer rejected my flexible work request and told me to pick from four new shift patterns or take redundancy if they didn't suit me. All new shifts were full working hours. No support as a new mother and ruined my last few precious weeks. What are my rights?"

Katie Wood, senior legal officer at Maternity Action, answers:

All employers have a legal duty to seriously consider all requests for flexible work. This includes any request to change your days, hours or place of work. From April this year, this is a day-one right and you can make up to two requests a year. To show that they have seriously considered a request, an employer is expected to meet with you to discuss the request.

An employer can refuse a request if they have good reasons and it would genuinely be difficult to accommodate a request. There are eight legal reasons an employer can give for refusing a request but these can be quite broad.

These reasons are:

The burden of additional costs
The detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand
The employer is unable to reorganise the work among existing staff
They are unable to recruit additional staff
The detrimental effect on quality
The detrimental effect on performance
There is not enough work during the periods the employee wants to work
Planned structural changes

You can ask to appeal a refusal and can also put forward other options. It can help to ask for a trial period or try to find a compromise that would work for both parties.

An employer that insists on a particular working pattern, such as full-time working hours or variable shifts, may be at risk of an indirect sex discrimination claim as it disadvantages women who have more childcare responsibilities than men.

If an employer rejects an appeal, employees should seek legal advice. There is a time limit of three months (less one day) for starting an employment tribunal claim. Employees must contact ACAS to start early conciliation within the time limit. ACAS have more information on rights to ask for flexible work on their website.

This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute, leaving your name and where in the country you are, in the form above or by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Money blog". Alternatively, WhatsApp us here .

By Bhvishya Patel, Money team

Over four days this week, we'll be speaking to some of Britain's struggling unpaid carers, hearing at times heart-breaking accounts of their physical, emotional and financial struggles.

We start with Michelle Lewarne, 65, who has had to spend all the money she and her husband had saved for retirement on looking after their son.

"MPs should really come and live with a family like ours or work in a care home as part of their training and still try and do their job. See what it is really like for the real world." Michelle Lewarne, unpaid carer

Michelle stopped working soon after her son Peter, 41, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 14 months.

The mother of two, from Overton in Hampshire, says the money she receives from various benefits, including carer's allowance, does not go far enough and financially it is a "disaster" for her and her husband Tony, 72.

The couple are having to dip into savings and live off Tony's pension pot - but there isn't much left.

In 2015, Tony was treated for an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has left him weaker and made it harder for him to help with the day-to-day care of Peter, who is in a wheelchair.

"I've been on antidepressants at times because it's not like we can just say 'I've had enough' and walk away," Michelle says.

"I've got arthritis in my neck and lower back, which is apparently due to lifting and moving Peter around over the years.

"If I go out anywhere I have just a couple of hours before I need to get back again. I've got to time it so Peter and my husband are not alone for too long.

"It does take a toll, you end up not sleeping very well.

"Financially, it's a disaster area. You save up for your old age but now you have to use it all to pay for the care."

Six weeks after the birth of the couple's second child, Marie, doctors diagnosed Peter with cerebral palsy and Michelle decided to give up her job as a nurse to care for him full-time.

"It was a bit of shell shock. My husband couldn't get his head around it - there was nothing wrong with his baby boy which is understandable. That was a difficult time," she says.

"I was doing agency nursing when the children were babies and my husband was doing shift work so we would be like passing ships in the night. It did start taking a toll so I gave up nursing because his job was paying better and it was easier for me to care for Peter being a nurse - I understood all the language."

When Peter turned 19, Michelle and Tony decided to seek help and now employ three carers through means-tested direct payments.

The benefit sees them receive payments from their local authority and gives them more flexibility with their support package, allowing them to arrange their own care services rather than have the council arrange them.

The £3,900 direct payments pay for the wages of Peter's carers.

Michelle is also entitled to carer's allowance, which is £76.75 a week, while Peter receives £407 in disability living allowance and £284 mobility allowance a month.

Financially, the maths just doesn't work.

"I get my pension in June and I can either have my pension as it is and lose my carer's allowance or have the allowance and they'll take some money from my pension," she says.

"That's very unfair because I won't be retired - not in the proper sense of the word. At the moment we're relying on savings - we haven't got a lot left of that."

Michelle says Peter's care means needing to use more electricity and heating than an average household, which has put further pressure on her finances.

"Peter also has a gluten, wheat and dairy intolerance and we can spend up to £200 a week or more on just buying him food. We also have to have a separate fridge freezer so that nobody mistakes Peter's food for ours."

Looking at what needs to be done to a social care system that is facing unprecedented strain, Michelle says the "biggest thing anybody could do in parliament is just listen to the carers and what they need".

"Carer's allowance is far less than even the minimum wage," she adds.

"MPs should really come and live with a family like ours or work in a care home as part of their training and still try and do their job. See what it is really like for the real world.

"You really do struggle at times. If someone who is not a carer is fed up with their job they can just hand in their notice and go off and find another job, but in our case we're like prisoners in our own home a lot of the time - we can't make those choices.

"Why is it that whenever there are any cutbacks it's always the social sector?"

A government spokesperson told the Money blog: "Unpaid carers play a vital role in the lives of their family and friends, which is why from April we're boosting carer's allowance, meaning carers receive an extra £1,500 a year compared to 2010.

"Those in low income households may also be eligible for additional financial support such as universal credit."

We're back for another week of consumer news, personal finance tips and all the latest on the economy.

This is how the week in the Money blog is shaping up...

Today : Every week we ask industry experts to answer your Money Problems. Today, a Money blog reader has had their flexible working request denied after returning from maternity leave - so what are their rights?

Tuesday : This week's Basically... explains everything you need to know about credit scores - and how to improve yours.

Wednesday : It's inflation day - with the March figure released at 7am.

Thursday : Savings Champion founder Anna Bowes will be back examining the pros and cons of another type of savings account, and the best rates available.

Friday : We'll have another Myth or Must, and Sunna Van Kampen will take us down another supermarket aisle to help us shop healthier for less.

Running every weekday, Money features a morning markets round-up from the Sky News business team and regular updates and analysis from our business, City and economic correspondents, editors and presenters - Ed Conway , Mark Kleinman , Ian King , Paul Kelso and Adele Robinson .

You'll also be able to stream Business Live with Ian King weekdays at 11.30am and 4.30pm.

Bookmark news.sky.com/money and check back from 8am, and through the day, each weekday.

The Money team is Emily Mee, Bhvishya Patel, Jess Sharp, Katie Williams, Brad Young and Ollie Cooper, with sub-editing by Isobel Souster. The blog is edited by Jimmy Rice.

Looking for some longer Money reads for your evening/commute/lunch break?

Here's four from the last few months you might like...

Cost of a pint

Many of us have noticed the price of pints creeping up in recent years.

The cost of draught lager has gone up nearly 30% since January 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The beer doesn't taste any different despite the increase in price - so where exactly does that £6-7 for a pint go?

We've spoken to experts to get a break down...

Motherhood penalty

The word "penalty" isn't one that should go hand-in-hand with motherhood. But deep-rooted structural inequalities are causing women to save less for retirement when they become parents.

Mothers face a pension penalty of up to £183,000 by taking time out of work to raise children, according to analysis by the pensions and investment company Royal London...

A survey has revealed the energy gripes that cause the most arguments in British households...

Quitting your job to go travelling

You could be forgiven for feeling a twinge of jealousy when you see someone packing it all in to go travelling for a few months.

Perhaps it's made you wonder if you could do the same thing yourself.

Of course, it won't be realistic for everyone and the reality is it takes a lot of planning and saving. For many people during the cost of living crisis, it's simply not possible to save much, if at all.

But if you're wondering where to begin (and how much you might need to save), we've got some advice from two travel bloggers who have been there and done that...

By Brad Young, Money team

Earning up to £60,000 a year for letting Stormzy film a music video in your kitchen or Paloma Faith play with Lego in the living room might sound farfetched to homeowners unfamiliar with the shoot locations industry.

But every star, studio or big brand that wants to film in a residential property needs someone willing to offer up their home for the day - and they'll pay between £700 and £3,000 for the privilege.

Homeowners and shooting agencies have spoken with the Money team about the promises and pitfalls of working with the likes of Disney, Netflix and ITV to take advantage of this niche income stream.

Among them was Ed Reeve, a photographer from Hackney, who has had stars such as David Attenborough, Stormzy and Jim Broadbent walk through his doors in the 17 years he's been renting out his home.

"It has been a really positive experience on the whole for us. Generally, the shoot crews are really lovely people and they're very respectful of your home," said Mr Reeve, who is registered with location agency 1st Option.

He hosts between 12 and 20 productions a year. Most bring in £1,000 for a one-day shoot, but some earn him up to £3,000 per day or last multiple days.

"We've met lots of interesting people," said Mr Reeve, including Gillian Anderson, who stars in Sex Education, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) and Claire Foy (The Crown).

After Stormzy filmed a music video, Mr Reeves said that "every grime artist wanted to shoot here".

David Attenborough once turned up early for a BBC shoot, resulting in the pair sitting down for a cup of tea and Mr Reeve introducing his three-day old daughter to the presenter.

"He held her and looked at her with delight... it was a really special moment," said Mr Reeve.

Shoots can result in scratches around the interior, but Mr Reeve said he uses some of the money to redecorate – or in one case, let a Delux advert do it for him.

'It's never free money'

Less enthusiastic about the industry was Emer Stamp, 48, a children's author from London, who has hosted for two years.

"You think, 'Oh yeah, my house is going to be rocking', and everyone comes round and goes 'Your house will be perfect', but for whatever reason, it's not.

"My takeout is it's not as easy to make money as you think."

Ms Stamp said her home had been chosen for three productions, including a Dell shoot and a Lego advert starring Paloma Faith, earning her approximately £6,000.

Hosting also puts your schedule at the mercy of production companies – and sometimes they may not show up, said Ms Stamp.

"Like anything, you think it's free money but it's never free money."

So what does make a location popular?

Becky Butler, managing director at agency Location Collective, said there is demand for average-sized family homes with a 60s/70s vibe and unusual features.

And while a lot of the homes listed by location agencies look expensive, that was far from a deal-breaker.

"All the practical side of things are as important, if not more so, than the aesthetics of the location," said Ms Butler.

Parking, easy-going neighbours and having one large room for equipment goes a long way with clients.

Getting the combination right can create "a fantastic additional income stream", said Jennifer Marshall, of Shootfactory, which has connected homeowners with everyone from Little Mix to Killing Eve.

"We have properties that through our company have earned anywhere between £20,000 and £60,000 a year."

Much of the industry is based in London but, between them, the three agencies contacted by the Money team have organised filming in Manchester, Birmingham, the Midlands, the Home Counties and coastal areas.

Both Ms Marshall and the team at Location Collective said having a neighbour willing to get in on the action can be a real selling point.

This might mean a second house on the same street for a TV show, or simply somewhere to house the production team.

"Being able to let them pretty much take over is quite key. Sometimes they might have demands like painting or moving furniture," said Lily Gonnissen, head of business development at Location Collective.

Being quick to respond to questions, contactable during the working day, and able to accommodate viewings at short notice was a top priority, said Ms Gonnissen.

"Be friendly and welcoming - brands remember a good owner," said a spokesperson for 1st Option: "And make sure the house is clean and clutter free before any shoots."

The default tariff for prepayment meters is now cheaper than other types of meter.

It follows the energy price cap update to unit rates and standing charges from 1 April.

Uswitch data shows 56% of households don't know about the change.

What do you need to know?

Prepayment meters have traditionally been a more expensive way of paying for energy - but now prepayment standing charges have been lowered to match those for direct debit customers.

Because prepay units are cheaper, people with these meters should pay around £47 less a year than those on direct debits (£1,643 versus £1,690).

Customers who pay when they get a bill are forking out the most - around 5.8p more per day on the standing charge than those with direct debits.

Should we all get prepayment meters?

As energy costs come down, suppliers like EDF Energy have now started offering fixed deals lower than the price cap - and as things stand these are the cheapest options for many.

Eon Next's Pledge tariff promises to be 3% below whatever the price cap is for a year.

There can be catches if you want to leave these fixed deals (though Octopus doesn't charge them) - so make sure you do your research.

How many people have prepay meters?

The number of prepayment meters has fallen almost 8% from the peak in 2019, but there's still more than seven million gas and electricity units in action.

In total, 195,503 prepayment meters were installed in 2023.

Are people swapping?

Uswitch has some research that says young people (18 to 34) are far more likely to go for prepay meters - 51% would consider it, compared with 5% of over-55s.

Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch, said: "Prepayment meters have got a bad reputation among some households, but changes to the price cap mean that their default tariffs are now cheaper than standard credit meters.

"With prepayment meters, you pay for your energy before you use it, and while there are emergency provisions, it does mean it is possible to be cut off if you have not put enough money into your account.

"This means that younger consumers and vulnerable people are at greater risk of disconnecting themselves from their energy supply when money is tight.

"Direct debits also allow consumers to spread out their costs evenly throughout the year, meaning bills won't rise significantly in the winter when energy usage is highest."

We've had a mixed mailbag of comments this week - with readers getting in touch about pensions, tipping and divorce among other things.

Following this feature on divorce costs last weekend...

...we had dozens of comments...

So many people must be trapped in abusive relationships. A loan has helped me get away - covering legal costs, paying the bills/mortgage on marital home whilst being unable to stay and finding thousands for a rental. Costs so far about £8k - only one year in and at decree nisi. H

Since broken families are ever more common why isn't the government doing something to help divorcees get back on the housing ladder like first-time buyers are? Countless thousands, despite having the income, are doomed to rent expensive family homes. Men especially! Twice Divorced Of Surrey

Trust me, it costs a whole lot more than £30k, stay away from solicitors, work through it yourself. Toby

When one party will not communicate with the other, this makes the process much more expensive. Around £80k in solicitors and barrister fees. Vbkinguk

Another story that cut through was London restaurant chain Ping Pong scrapping tips - months before new legislation will require restaurateurs to give staff 100%.

Readers don't seem impressed...

Best thing employees and customers can do is boycott them. Just goes to show what they actually think of their staff. Dave

I don't want to eat somewhere that doesn't look after its employees. Jack

I'm sure patrons and staff will vote with their feet! How disgraceful to remove tips, probably as the owners aren't getting any cut of their staff's hard work! Elijah

We've reported extensively on the rise to the state pension this month - including how, due to frozen income tax thresholds, more pensioners will be dragged into paying income tax. Chris seems to be one of those impacted...

I deferred taking my state pension for five years to hopefully boost my pension, because I happened to be the last group of people to get the old state pension. Unfortunately because of the tax band freeze any benefit from the pension uplift is being eroded every year, is this fair? Chris

And finally, on Monday we suggested a cheaper way to buy herbs and spices in the supermarket - by using the world food aisle...

We had this comment...

Best money-saving practice for herbs and spices is to source them at Asian stores - not supermarkets! Pip

Spain is planning to scrap a "golden visa" scheme that grants residency rights to foreigners who make large investments in real estate.

Ending the scheme would help make access to affordable housing "a right instead of a speculative business", Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

The programme awards non-EU citizens investing at least €500,000 (around £429,000) in Spanish real estate - without taking out a mortgage - a special permit, allowing them to live and work in the country for three years.

In better news for Britons who hope to live abroad, Italy is allowing non-EU citizens who can work remotely to apply for a year-long "digital nomad" visa.

There's a few salary/reference based criteria to meet - read about them here...

Labour this week tried to address questions over how it would pay for key pledges after the Tories used their idea of scrapping the non-dom status to fund a national insurance cut.

Labour had been committed to abolishing non-dom status for years - upon gaining power they planned to use the money to fund breakfast clubs for primary school children and additional appointments in the NHS.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves this week announced the party's plan to raise £5bn a year by the end of the next parliament...

Labour said it would raise £2.6bn by closing "loopholes" in the government's non-doms plan - after certain exemptions were kept in place by Jeremy Hunt;
Labour said the "tax gap" - the difference between the amount of money HMRC is owed and the amount it receives - had widened to £36bn in 2021-22 - £5bn more than it had been the previous year;
To close the gap, Labour said it would invest up to £555m a year in boosting the number of compliance officers at HMRC, increasing productivity and improving the organisation's "dire" customer service;
It would also consider requiring more tax schemes to be registered with HMRC to ensure they are legitimate, and renew the focus on offshore tax compliance.

The government responded by saying: "The Conservatives have introduced over 200 measures to clamp down on tax non-compliance and we are sticking to the plan to strengthen the economy so we can cut taxes, putting £900 in the pockets of the average worker and helping families to build a brighter future."

Shell is weighing up quitting the London Stock Exchange (LSE) for a move to New York over concerns its listing is currently "undervalued".

Chief executive Wael Sawan told Bloomberg that he was mulling "all options".

The British oil and gas giant is currently the largest company in the FTSE 100 index, and its departure from the LSE would be a significant blow to the UK stock market that is fighting to stay relevant.

There's been a run of bad news for the LSE over the past year or so. The world's largest building products manufacturer, CRH, moved to New York, while travel company Tui moved to Frankfurt. And despite the lobbying of numerous prime ministers, UK-based chip company Arm chose the NYSE.

The Money blog is your place for consumer news, economic analysis and everything you need to know about the cost of living - bookmark news.sky.com/money.

It runs with live updates every weekday - while on Saturdays we scale back and offer you a selection of weekend reads.

Check them out this morning and we'll be back on Monday with rolling news and features.

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Cast & crew
User reviews

Home Sweet Home

Episode aired Dec 21, 1969

Steve and Fitzhugh attempt to return to Earth in a spacepod, but travel back in time to the year 1900 where the local villagers decide they are being attacked by warlocks. Steve and Fitzhugh attempt to return to Earth in a spacepod, but travel back in time to the year 1900 where the local villagers decide they are being attacked by warlocks. Steve and Fitzhugh attempt to return to Earth in a spacepod, but travel back in time to the year 1900 where the local villagers decide they are being attacked by warlocks.

Harry Harris
Irwin Allen
William Welch
Gary Conway
Don Matheson
Stefan Arngrim
4 User reviews

Kurt Kasznar and Don Marshall in Land of the Giants (1968)

Capt. Steve Burton

Mark Wilson

Barry Lockridge

Dan Erickson

Valerie Scott

Betty Hamilton
(credit only)

Alexander B. Fitzhugh

Ranger Wilson

Mrs. Perkins

Ranger Jack
(as William H. Bassett)

Villager Peabody
(as William Benedict)

Villager Sloacum

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

Trivia This episode uses the Lost in Space (1965) "Space Pod" model and full sized mock-up of their "Jupiter 2" markings.
Goofs When Steve and Fitzhugh are about to enter the space warp, Fitz asks what it is. However, in the series premiere, he was one of the first ones who spotted the cloud.

User reviews 4

Oct 3, 2006
December 21, 1969 (United States)
United States
distributor's official site for individuals
Distributor's official site for professionals
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
Irwin Allen Productions
Kent Productions
Twentieth Century Fox
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

Runtime 50 minutes

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