After months of a much-needed restoration, the Moonwalker—the famous space cow located at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, IAH, in Terminal A—is finally back home.  

“Meet me at the Space Cow.”  Those directions have been given hundreds if not thousands of times over the years.  

The Space Cow is actually the more commonly used term of endearment for “Moonwalking Cow”—a towering sculpture that’s a part of Houston Airports’ public arts collection in the Bush Airport Terminal A ticketing lobby. The art piece was donated to Houston Airports by Marc Ostrofsky in 2001. The rebranded Space Cow has long been a fan favorite-- according to Houston Airports Public Art program director and Curator Alton DuLaney.  

“It is a true landmark at the Airport,” DuLaney said. “Passengers and airport employees have referenced it as a meeting place. It is also very popular with people taking selfies as well as those who include it on their Instagram accounts.”   

DuLaney said the popularity of the piece led to it being in a state of disrepair about a year ago, with the eight-foot-tall cow often being played with and climbed upon.  

“It wasn’t meant to be a permanent piece, but an attention-grabber for a 2001 Texas Children’s Hospital fundraiser,” DuLaney said. “All the attention has taken a toll on the beloved bovine.”  

After a few months of restoration, the Moonwalker is back and ready to greet passengers.  

Passengers are encouraged to snap shots with Moonwalker, but please no climbing, and be sure to tag Bush Intercontinental on Twitter via @iah.