On October 16, 1997, the United States is gearing up to colonize space. The Jupiter 2 , a futuristic saucer-shaped spacecraft, stands on its launch pad undergoing final preparations. Its mission is to take a single family on a five-and-a-half year journey to an Earth-like planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri . The Robinson family consists of Professor John Robinson , his wife Maureen (, and their three children: Judy ; Penny ; and Will. The family is accompanied by U.S. Space Corps Major Donald West . The Robinsons and Major West are to be cryogenically frozen for the voyage, and they are set to be unfrozen when the spacecraft approaches its destination. Dr. Zachary Smith , Alpha Control's doctor, is revealed to be a saboteur working on behalf of an unnamed nation. After disposing of a guard who catches him aboard the spacecraft, Smith reprograms the Jupiter 2 ' s B-9 environmental control robot (voiced by Dick Tufeld ...