NASA wants whatever help it can get for its journey to Mars, and it's willing to forge some unusual partnerships to make that happen. Case in point: the agency has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates that will have them cooperating on space exploration. The deal lets them share everything from data and research facilities to aircraft and spacecraft. Mars exploration is the initial focus of their cooperation, but they'll look at other areas where they can work together.
The deal makes sense despite the UAE's relative lack of experience with space travel. The UAE gets the prestige of directly contributing to one of humanity's greatest exploration missions. For NASA, this offers chances to both reduce its reliance on Russia and stretch its budget a little further. Whatever the motivations, the pact will pay off if it helps bring humans to other worlds.