PBS taps into the growing presence of 3D digital preservation on their new show, Time Scanners, which will premiere its first episode tonight at 8 p.m. ET. The three-part series will peruse the ancient iconic sites of the Egyptian Pyramids, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and the city of Petra in Jordan through the use of 3D laser-scanning technology.

Hosted by Dallas Campbell, each episode will follow Steve Burrows — the notable structural engineer known for working on the Bird's Nest Stadium at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics — and his team of investigators as they discover each landmark's physical and forensic history and scientific secrets.

Below are summaries of each episode:

July 1, Egyptian Pyramids: "The team travels to Egypt to scan the pyramids to find out how the necropoles evolved from simple mud-brick structures to the most impressive buildings in the ancient world. They use their laser technology to scan Djoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Meidum’s collapsed pyramid, the mysterious Bent Pyramid at Dashur and the famous Great Pyramid at Giza, and finally establish the true location of the King’s Burial Chamber in the Great Pyramid."

July 8, St. Paul's Cathedral: "Burrows takes his team of experts to “St Paul’s Cathedral” in London, famed as the location of the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. They venture inside the majestic dome to explore its groundbreaking three-part structure; determine how the cathedral’s architect, Sir Christopher Wren, overcame unstable foundations and immense structural forces to support his dome; and investigate how the cathedral survived a direct hit by a German bomb during the London Blitz."  

July 15, Petra: "For the final installment, the team ventures to Jordan to scan the ancient desert city of Petra. Using 3D laser-scanning technology, Burrows wants to uncover the city’s construction secrets and shed new light on this architectural wonderland lost to the West for more than 1,000 years. How did Nabatean stonemasons carve Petra’s largest building – the Monastery – out of a mountainside? And what lies hidden underneath the city?"

You can catch each episode on Tuesdays from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET. Check your local listings here.

See more about historic preservation on Archinect here.