Heteroclinic bifurcations of $\Omega$-stable vector fields on 3-manifolds

We study one parameter families of vector fields that are defined on three dimensional manifolds and whose nonwandering sets are structurally stable. As families, these families may not be structurally stable; heteroclinic bifurcations that give rise to moduli can occur. Some but not all moduli are related to the geometry of stable and unstable manifolds. We study a notion of stability, weaker then structural stability, in which geometry and dynamics on stable and unstable manifolds are reflected. We classify the families from the above mentioned class of families that are stable in this sense.