  We combine experimental and theoretical approaches to explore excited
rotational states of molecules embedded in helium nanodroplets using CS$_2$ and
I$_2$ as examples. Laser-induced nonadiabatic molecular alignment is employed
to measure spectral lines for rotational states extending beyond those
initially populated at the 0.37 K droplet temperature. We construct a simple
quantum mechanical model, based on a linear rotor coupled to a single-mode
bosonic bath, to determine the rotational energy structure in its entirety. The
calculated and measured spectral lines are in good agreement. We show that the
effect of the surrounding superfluid on molecular rotation can be rationalized
by a single quantity -- the angular momentum, transferred from the molecule to
the droplet.
