  We propose a new Kepler mission, called NEOKepler, that would survey near
Earth's orbit to identify potentially hazardous objects (PHOs). To understand
its surveying power, Kepler's large field of view produces an 'etendue'
(A*Omega) that is 4.5 times larger than the best survey telescope currently in
operation. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of NEOKepler using a
double "fence post" survey pattern that efficiently detects PHOs. In a
simulated 12-month survey, we estimate that NEOKepler would detect ~150 new
NEOs with absolute magnitudes of less than 21.5, ~50 of which would be new
PHOs. This would increase the annual PHO discovery rate by at least 50% and
improve upon our goal of discovering 90% of PHOs by the end of 2020. Due to its
heliocentric orbit, Kepler would also be sensitive to objects inside Earth's
orbit, discovering more objects in its first year than are currently known to
exist. Understanding this undersampled sub-population of NEOs will reveal new
insights into the actual PHO distribution by further constraining current NEO
models. As an alternative science goal, NEOKepler could employ a different
observing strategy to discover suitable targets for NASA's Asteroid Redirect
Mission.
