T HE prediction of the complex transition process which the laminar near-wake flow undergoes before it becomes a fully turbulent flow has been an important concern for the re-entry physics community. There exists a large body of literature which encompasses experimental endeavors (primarily ballistic range experiments), some data correlations, and a few theoretical efforts. These efforts focused mainly upon determining the transition Reynolds number for a particular body shape at a variety of freestream Mach numbers (Mx = 2-20). In this Note we will show that the apparent Mach number dependence of the laminar wake transition process can be explained with the use of axis-based fluid properties and that a nearly universal axis-based transition Reynolds number independent of Mach number is found. The simple near-wake calculations described below are considered independent of downstream distance in the laminar run due to the lack of importance of laminar diffusion for high Reynolds number near wake transition (< 100 diameters). This feature allows for a straightforward correlation of the ballistic range data, The most complete correlation study was published by Goldburg1 in 1965. He obtained a prescription for a hypersonic wake transition map which included a far-wake and a near-wake description. The near-wake correlation provides a reasonable prediction of transition if the dimensional product of the ambient pressure and transition distance behind the body, p^xtr, is plotted vs a shoulder Mach number. Both sphere and cone data fell near his predicted line. Goldburg expected such a correlation (with shoulder Mach number) since the near wake should show a strong dependence on local hypersonic phenomena.2'3 We will show that this flowfieid dependence is very important; however, the Mach number dependence will be absorbed using some physical ideas related to the transition process. A more recent compilation of available transition data was provided by Waldbusser.4 The typical results of the experimental efforts were to show how laminar transition was delayed at higher M^. Zeiberg5 demonstrates this point quite clearly. In his study, he shows (using available experimental data) that wedge, cone, spherecone, and sphere data can be correlated with Mx by multiplying the transition Reynolds number, U^xlrlv^ by a factor (M^/M^)2. This bluntness Reynolds number still varies by three orders of magnitude. If we eliminate the effect and primarily concentrate on slender cones, this same Mach number dependence remains. Is this compressibility effect fundamental? The correlation method developed below attempts to answer this question.