Feb. 20 [10:00 EST] -- The government is now using your tax dollars to go after indie surf bands.

NASA has fired off a cease and desist letter to Touch And Go Records act Man or Astro-man demanding that the band stop using a logo that resembles that of the space administration.

The band, which claims to hail from outer space (specifically grid sector 23-B6-1) and has entrenched itself in a B-movie sci-fi aesthetic, received a letter from NASA in which the agency gives "formal notice that your use of the NASA logo in own 'ASTRO' logo constitutes wrongful use of government property.

The graphic in question, which pops up on the band's merchandise and is buried deep within the band's web site (at astroman.com), is essentially a parody of the NASA logo, complete with blue circle background, a small field of stars, and the word "ASTRO" in the same font employed by the original design.

The letter goes on to warn

the band (whose members go by the names Birdstuff, Starcrunch, Dexter X, and Coco the Electric Monkey Wizard) that, "You are hereby instructed to cease and desist any and all uses of the NASA insignia as part of the offending 'ASTRO' logo or in any other manner. This includes any and all merchandise, including compact disks (sic), t-shirts, stickers or concert tickets.

So far, the band of alleged space travelers seems unfazed by the order from NASA. A statement issued by Man or Astro-man said, "Man or Astro-man has no intention to pull the items or stop manufacture.