Astronaut ice cream is a fun novelty treat for science-happy kids, but could Earth-bound adults ever warm up to the idea of room-temperature ice cream? That's what Unilever--the food company behind brands like Ben & Jerry's and Hellman's--hopes to find out with its new "low-carbon" ice cream that can be sold on store shelves and frozen at home.

The ice cream has the potential to save loads of cash for both Unilever and distributors, since ice cream has to be frozen during storage and transport. The problem? No one is too sure that it will taste good. According to one Unilever spokesperson, "The key question which has yet to be fully answered is: how do you ensure that, when the ambient ice cream is frozen at home it will have the right microstructure to produce a fantastic consumer experience?". Translation: the ice cream might be kind of gross.

And as the Wall Street Journal points out, Unilever doesn't make it clear who will reap the benefits of energy efficiency cost savings--Unilever, grocers, or consumers? We won't find out any time soon--in the short-term, Unilever is focusing on increasing the efficiency of its factories and offices.