The Russians are good mathematicians, and have calculated it out that it would be cheaper to send the monkey to Mars by bus. However, the bus station on Mars is a real dump, and they also worry that the monkey may be molested on the bus by "fellow travelers".
So rocket it is.
Worried about the monkey? I am much more concerned about the robot. Get this - the robot tends to a stinking monkey for hundreds of days on the flight. Feeding it, and cleaning it, with no place to wash up afterwards. And what is the reward for the robot? NOTHING! Just certain de-activation and death! I'm outraged!
We need a Russian chapter of the PETR (People for the Ethical Treatment of Robots).