What was Roy Hodgson's space monkey joke?

NASA decided they would finally send a man up in an capsule after sending only monkeys in the earlier missions.

They fire the man and the monkey into space.

The intercom crackles "Monkey, fire the retros".

A little later, "Monkey, check the solid fuel supply".

Later still "Monkey, check the life support systems".

The astronaut takes umbrage and radios NASA. "When do I get something?"

NASA replied – in 15 minutes, feed the monkey.

Racist when comparing Andros Townsend to the NASA monkey? I think not, but it helps to sell newspapers.