Mission Communications

Mission Goal

Build an “agency story” that explains who you are, what you stand for, how you work, and how you earn trust—so partners and supporters understand your mission culture.

Why This Matters

Space is a teamwork sport. Real agencies and mission teams win funding, partners, and public support by being clear about values, safety, and reliability—especially when things go wrong.

Inputs From Other Teams

• Command & Control: roles, approvals, risk and safety approach.
• All technical teams: current capabilities + known limitations (what you’re still building).
• Mission Design: the mission “why” and intended impact.

What You Must Produce (Deliverables)

1. Agency story statement (250–350 words): purpose, values, how you work, how you prove things.
2. Operating principles (5 bullets): rules you follow every mission.
3. Trust & transparency note (3 bullets): how you report failures and protect privacy.

Templates

Short tweet template (≤ 280 chars)

We’re [Team/Agency Name]. We build missions that [purpose]. Our rules: [principle 1], [principle 2], [principle 3]. We publish evidence and learn from failures—openly and respectfully.

Newsletter paragraph template

Our team operates like a mini space agency. We exist to [purpose], guided by [values]. We plan carefully, test what we claim, and publish evidence of success. When something fails, we document what happened, what we learned, and what we’ll change next time.

Assembly slide outline

1. Who we are (name + purpose)
2. What we believe (3 values)
3. How we work (process + safety)
4. How we prove things (evidence culture)
5. How we handle failure (learning + transparency)

Step-by-Step

1. Choose your purpose: one sentence that connects mission work to real-world benefit.
2. Pick 3 values: e.g., “evidence-first”, “safety always”, “learn fast”.
3. Define how you work: planning → building → testing → publishing.
4. Write 5 operating principles: short rules you actually follow.
5. Write your transparency note: how you report issues and protect people.
6. Cross-check: do your technical teams agree this matches reality?

Success Criteria

• Your story is specific (process + evidence), not just inspiring slogans.
• Operating principles are actionable and match how you really behave.
• You include how you handle failure and uncertainty honestly.
• You demonstrate respect for privacy and safety.

Evidence Checklist

• ✅ 250–350 word agency story statement
• ✅ 5 operating principles
• ✅ 3 transparency bullets (failures + privacy)
• ✅ One reviewer outside the team says “I get who you are and why I should trust you.”

Ethics (Truthfulness, Privacy)

• Truthfulness: don’t claim “NASA-level” anything. Say what you can verify.
• Privacy: avoid identifying students in public posts without consent.
• Accountability: name uncertainty openly (“we’re not sure yet” is professional).

Common Failure Modes

• Story is pure hype with no operating detail.
• Values are generic (“excellence”) with no behaviour attached.
• Hiding failures or blaming people instead of fixing systems.
• Publishing sensitive information in the name of “transparency”.

Stretch Goals

• Create a one-page “Agency Charter” poster for your classroom/team site.
• Add a “mission incident report” template you’ll use when something fails.
• Write a partner invitation paragraph (what support you need and what you offer).