Member Avatar for Duki

So yeah, I got accepted into a NASA IV&V and Northrop Grumman internship; just wanted to brag a little :)

Haven't heard a lot about NG, but their website is impressive.

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Brief, practical prep notes tied to the points raised by and .

For a software testing / V&V internship in aerospace or defense, concentrate on core systems skills first. Know how C and C++ behave at the machine level: memory layout, lifetime and ownership, undefined behavior, common concurrency pitfalls, and simple diagnostics with a debugger. Be comfortable with a Unix-like command line, Git for version control, and a basic build system (Make/CMake). Practicing small, self-contained exercises that introduce memory bugs and then finding them with AddressSanitizer/Valgrind and a debugger builds useful muscle memory.

Understand verification and validation concepts. Work through writing a short test plan and a traceability matrix for a tiny feature: map requirements to test cases, pick coverage goals, and describe pass/fail criteria. Learn static vs dynamic analysis, unit vs integration testing, and why coverage metrics (statement/branch and MC/DC in safety-critical work) matter. Being able to write a clear bug report with steps to reproduce, expected vs actual behavior, and a minimal test case is highly valuable.

Logistics and soft skills matter. Large contractors often use formal documentation, code-review processes, and may require background checks or NDAs — plan accordingly. Be ready to adapt to existing coding standards and to ask early for a mentor, a build script, and the repository layout. Communication that is concise and evidence-based (logs, diffs, and test artifacts) speeds onboarding.

Quick checklist to practice before starting:

  • Small C/C++ project that compiles and is unit-tested.
  • Use sanitizer and a static checker to find and fix bugs.
  • Draft one-page test plan plus trace matrix for a toy feature.
  • Prepare a one-paragraph bug report template and a short verbal walkthrough.

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Member Avatar for dewabo

Congratutions, hope that you will like the job. They do a lot of work for the government and travel could be in the picture for you. If you're not married you could see a lot of this world because NG has projects all over. Do you know what devision you will be with. Good luck and again Congratutions.:)

Member Avatar for Duki

i know very little right now. all i know is i was asked if i was familiar with C and C++, so it's going to be software/programming related testing.

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