When Gary Leafield stepped through the ceiling of the earth's atmosphere he fulfilled a two month long ambition and became the first person to leave the earth's atmosphere without the use of fuel. In fact all he used was a custom built very long ladder.

Astronomical intellectuals claimed it couldn’t be done, yet Leafield, an ex window cleaner, achieved the feat on his first attempt.

Leafield got the idea whilst cleaning the windows on Canary Wharf. He quit his job that very day and got together with his friend James Cerney from the local ladder factory to devise a plan and more importantly a ladder long enough to climb beyond the earth’s exosphere.

The plan was devised and the two men headed to the Himalayas. With the ladder propped up against Mount Everest, Leafield began his ascent whilst Cerney placed his foot on the lowest rung for stability. It took Leafield six weeks to climb into space. Stopping along the way for snack and sleep breaks.

At the peak of Everest, Leafield changed from his mountain gear into a custom made spacesuit his mother had knocked up for him on her sewing machine. From Everest’s peak he climbed his custom ladder directly out of the earth’s atmosphere and into the unknown.  Just as he made it through the earth’s exosphere the disorientation of the change in atmosphere made him fall off his ladder.  He remained floating motionless for 24 hours waiting for the earth to rotate and a chance to grab hold of his ladder again. On his return, he was greeted to a hero’s welcome by Cerney and a small gathering of the local media.

Through ripples of applause he declared “I have fulfilled man’s defining moment,” he then joked “I wish I had taken my squeegee so I could have buffed up the ozone a little” He went on to say that next he wants to climb a ladder to the moon. He begged NASA to engineer him a ladder sturdy enough for the job.

It is uncertain whether he will be able to fulfill that dream, he was arrested for violation of air space on his return.

Irrespective of the final verdict on the air space violation the judge in his case has already declared the money raised through sponsorship will be allowed to go towards his chosen charity. He raised £7.85 for Cancer Research.

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