As there is zero chance to learn about this in game, I do not believe you are to blame

.
This is one thing that drives me crazy about this game - I just got back from my first trip out to see the new Guardian sites. I return to Meene (since that's what Ram Tah asks people to do in the GalNet article), turn in some exploration data, THEN I get the email for the Guardian Mission. I've got dozens of Guardian mats and data from the trip, and a cargo hold full of Guardian tech, and I can't use any of it for the mission.
Sigh. I love Elite Dangerous, but this inability to find out about much of anything from in-game sources really bugs me.