Philae comet lander starts to drill amid battery fears

The Philae lander has attempted to drill into the surface of Comet 67P, amid fears that its battery may die within hours.

The European Space Agency (Esa) says the instrument is being deployed to its maximum extent, despite the risk of toppling the lander.

Scientists hope the tool will be able to capture some samples for analysis in the robot's onboard laboratories.

If the battery dies, the results may not make it back to Earth.

BBC's science correspondent Pallab Ghosh reports.