# Pravda says there are lunar cities on the moon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540 "2003-10-09T21:19:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/1 "2003-10-09T21:19:47Z")
My buddy sent me this, I’m calling total BS. But I was wondering if any western sources have claimed the same thing? [Pravda Story](http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/10/05/37771.html) MtM ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/2 "2003-10-09T21:24:55Z")
If you’re asking if the article is BS, I’d say it looks like a genuine Pravda article. If you’re asking if the claims made by the article are BS, I’d say obviously. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/3 "2003-10-09T21:27:33Z")
Pravada says alot of things, quite a few of them aren’t true. Though Pravada do serious articles, they also indulge in supermarket tabloid journalism. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/4 "2003-10-09T22:00:52Z")
Pravda is a weird institution. It has not true Western equivalent. As you probably know, it was formerly the organ of the Communist Party. It is still the largest and most important Russian newspaper, but that doesn’t mean that Western standards aply to it. Think of it as occupying a weird nexus between Fox News, The New York Times, and the Weekly World News. I think it would be stranger, but still in the realm of possibility for Pravda, if they reported lunar cities on Mars. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/5 "2003-10-09T22:12:05Z")
That article includes the immortal line, “Specialist for lunar studies Richard Hoagland says…” which pretty much means it is junk. Specialist, my ass. Hoagland sees cities in his soup. He has never met a planet that wasn’t copiuously supplied with evidence of present or former intelligent habitation, all conveniently just barely out of range of whatever viewing device he is using. The more he squints, the more he sees. And as the resolution improves, what he sees just gets smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/6 "2003-10-09T22:17:39Z")
> [@](#): > > lunar cities on the moon As opposed to lunar cities somewhere else? Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/7 "2003-10-09T23:18:50Z")
Wait… Is this the Moscow Pravda, or the Novylen Pravda? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/8 "2003-10-09T23:40:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > **As opposed to lunar cities somewhere else?** Well, if one sprouted rocket engines and flew off for Alpha Centuri I would describe it as ‘lunar’ 😃 Sorry, but if you start nitpicking… ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/9 "2003-10-09T23:46:12Z")
A Russian once told me this: Pravda means “truth” Izvestia means “news” An old Russian joke went "There’s no news in Pravda and no truth in Izvestia. " ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/10 "2003-10-09T23:55:17Z")
Sure, plenty of western sources. Also plenty of western sources claiming they see cities on Mars, spacecraft in [SOHO](http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html) images, and at least one massive coverup for every government employee. Russia by no means has a monopoly on nutbars. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/11 "2003-10-10T01:58:54Z")
It’s 100 percent true. I’m posting from my adobe hut on the outskirts of the Sea of Tranquility. I have a bitchin’ wireless rig hooked up to mom’s house on venus. My message to earthlings: SEND BEER Over and out. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/12 "2003-10-10T02:03:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stockton \* > \*\*It’s 100 percent true. I’m posting from my adobe hut on the outskirts of the Sea of Tranquility. I have a bitchin’ wireless rig hooked up to mom’s house on venus. My message to earthlings: > > SEND BEER > > Over and out. > > 🙂 \*\* Yeah, sure. Just hold on a mo… Heeeeeeeeey! Wait a minute! They don’t _have_ adobe on the Moon! ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/13 "2003-10-10T03:25:16Z")
I have an old old book for children that says the moon is made of green cheese! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/14 "2003-10-10T05:51:01Z")
Originally posted by **Xema** > [@](#): > > Pravda means “truth” Once again, proof that truth is stranger than fiction! _God, i’ve been waiting forever to use that line…_ # ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/15 "2003-10-10T06:05:49Z")
AFAIK, The Pravda on the net is NOT the online presence of the newspaper in Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/16 "2003-10-10T07:52:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spingears \* > **I have an old old book for children that says the moon is made of green cheese!** SEND CRACKERS! ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pravda-says-there-are-lunar-cities-on-the-moon/206540/17 "2003-10-10T09:17:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spingears \* > **I have an old old book for children that says the moon is made of green cheese!** Flodjunior inherited a science question-and-answer book that had been a favorite of mine when I was a kid. He brought it to me, open to a particular page, and said “Mamma, I think maybe this is a bit out of date.” The question on that page was _Why do scientists think there is life on Mars?_ :o We reviewed the rest of the book very carefully that evening… Pravda has become a very strange paper since the fall of the Soviet Union - not to say it didn’t have its moments before, of course. Absolutely bizarre tabloid stories mixed in with mundane actual news stories. Read with caution.