A Can of Paint

"A Can of Paint" is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, originally published in Astounding in 1944. It is a light-hearted look at the first crewed mission to Venus, a "science puzzle" or "problem story" that requires the protagonist to think his way out of a thorny situation. Included in several anthologies, it was also made into a short film in 2004.