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It's not only on the earth that the apes preceded humans. It looks like they will get there first on Mars too!

Russian scientists have started to train monkeys to "use controls and solve problems" so that they can send them to Mars in two years, according to The Daily Mail.

Scientists are training four rhesus monkeys to employ joysticks and solve math and puzzles for three hours everyday. These monkeys had been handpicked for their "excellent cognitive thinking skills and ability to learn".

"What we are trying to do is to make them as intelligent as possible so we can use them to explore space beyond our orbit," said Inessa Kozlovskaya, the leader of the teaching team that is training the monkeys for the 2017 launch.

Every time the monkeys finish a task, they are given a sip of juice through a "long, metal feeder" according to Brobible.

In the past too, humans have taken the help of animals to launch their space travel, learn about space and reach the moon fast. Earlier monkeys, like Albert I, died during their missions.

The natural life expectancies of a monkey is 25 years. They are expected to learn their tasks in enough time to go on the 6-month mission to Mars.

NASA is hoping to touch Mars by the 2030s.