  We report the first planet discovery from the two-wheeled Kepler (K2)
mission: HIP 116454 b. The host star HIP 116454 is a bright (V = 10.1, K = 8.0)
K1-dwarf with high proper motion, and a parallax-based distance of 55.2 +/- 5.4
pc. Based on high-resolution optical spectroscopy, we find that the host star
is metal-poor with [Fe/H] = -.16 +/- .18, and has a radius R = 0.716 +/- .0024
R_sun and mass M = .775 +/- .027 Msun. The star was observed by the Kepler
spacecraft during its Two-Wheeled Concept Engineering Test in February 2014.
During the 9 days of observations, K2 observed a single transit event. Using a
new K2 photometric analysis technique we are able to correct small telescope
drifts and recover the observed transit at high confidence, corresponding to a
planetary radius of Rp = 2.53 +/- 0.18 Rearth. Radial velocity observations
with the HARPS-N spectrograph reveal a 11.82 +/- 1.33 Mearth planet in a 9.1
day orbit, consistent with the transit depth, duration, and ephemeris.
Follow-up photometric measurements from the MOST satellite confirm the transit
observed in the K2 photometry and provide a refined ephemeris, making HIP
116454 b amenable for future follow-up observations of this latest addition to
the growing population of transiting super-Earths around nearby, bright stars.
